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PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 



THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 

NEW YORK • BOSTON • CHICAGO • DALLAS 
ATLANTA • SAN FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN & CO., Limited 

LONDON . BOMBAY • CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Ltd. 

TORONTO 



Practical Fly Fishing 



BY 

LARRY ST. JOHN 

Author of "Practical Bait Casting." 



I13eto gorb 

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 
1920 

All rights reserved 



.Si 



Copyright, 1920, 
BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY 



Set up and electrotyped. Published, February, 1920 



FEB 191920 



©CI.A561904 



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5 



THIS LITTLE BOOK 

IS 

SYMPATHETICALLY DEDICATED 

TO 

THE WOMEN THE WORLD OVER WHO HAVE 

BEEN SO UNFORTUNATE AS TO MARRY 

MEN WHO GO A-FISHING! 



FOREWORD 

Here then is " Practical Fly Fishing," a companion 
book to my '' Practical Bait Casting," and like that lit- 
tle work this is offered mainly as a text book to help the 
novice through places where there is rocky bottom, 
rough water and other hard wading. 

It will be noted that I have devoted more space, 
proportionately, to fly fishing for black bass than have 
other writers, for the following reasons: the more 
general distribution of the bass offers a far greater 
number of anglers an opportunity to take them on a 
fly rod ; it is a phase of angling that is becoming amaz- 
ingly popular; it is a subject that most angling writers 
have neglected and on which there is little definite 
data. 

I acknowledge with thanks permission granted me 
by the publishers of the " Chicago Tribune " to include 
here some material that I had w^ritten for their col- 
umns. I also thank Call J. McCarthy for posing for 
pictures; Oscar G. Lundberg for taking them; Wil- 
liam Mills & Son, Abbey & Imbrie and Hardy 
Brothers for permission to reproduce illustrations from 
their catalogues and many brothers of the angle who 
have otherwise assisted me — may the South Wind 
always blow when they go a-angling. 

Larry St. John. 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Historical ii 

Tackle 22 

Tackle (Continued) 33 

Reels 49 

Flies 74 

Apparel 93 

Biological loi 

Preparatory 133 

Casting 137 

Strategy 148 



PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 



HISTORICAL 

FISHING IN GENERAL AND FLY FISHING IN 
PARTICULAR 

THE Beginning. The beginning of the ancient 
and honorable art of taking fishes with an angle 
Is lost In the dim, misty reaches of the past 
before men made a pictured or written record of 
events. Nearly all ancient peoples, however, had their 
quaint and curious fables on the origin of angling and 
many of these legends tell us that the art was handed 
down to men from the Gods which Is, Indeed, a reason- 
able supposition. 

The earliest authentic mention of angling we find 
in the Book of Job, written about 1500 B.C. The 
Lord asks him.: " Canst thou draw out Leviathan 
with a hook?" Fish hooks are also mentioned by 
Amos (IV, 2) written 787 B.C., and the prophecies 
of Isaiah (XIX, 8), written 760 B.C., sound a warn- 
ing to unrighteous fishermen: ''The fishers shall 
mourn and all they that cast angles Into the brooks 
shall lament and they that spread nets on the waters 
shall languish." 

II 



12 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

In Egypt, the civilization contemporary with that 
of the Hebrews, angling was no doubt practiced in 
remote times. Lake Moeris was constructed for a 
fishing pond about 1500 b. c. and in later days Plu- 
tarch tells of the prank played by Cleopatra on Mark 
Antony. They were fishing together, you will re- 
member, and Mark had divers go down and fasten big 
lunkers to his hook, which he pulled up in a matter- 
of-fact way, as if it were an everyday occurrence with 
him. Cleopatra detected the fraud, however, and in- 
vited a number of her friends to come the next day 
and see what a mighty angler was Mark. Then she 
had her divers go down and fasten a salted fish to his 
hook which sort of took the wind out of his sails, so to 
speak. 

The Greeks were fond of angling, and Homer men- 
tions the art several times while with the Romans, 
who understood fly fishing, it amounted to almost a 
passion and at least one prominent citizen of that great 
city was ruined financially by spending too much money 
on elaborate fish ponds. The poet Oppian saved his 
father from the wrath of the Emperor Severus by 
writing a book on angling and many other classical 
writers were interested in the subject. 

Fly Fishing. Although fly fishing was probably 
practiced much earlier the first mention of it is made 
by iElian in his " History of Animals," written about 
230 A. D. He describes a fly with a purple body and 
red hackles which was cast with a rod about eight 
feet long on a line of the same length and trout fisher- 



HISTORICAL 13 

men must derive considerable pleasure in the fact that 
this pioneer fly was used to catch " speckled fishes." 
The fly itself is still in use, being the pattern known 
as the red hackle. It is a killing trout fly and fairly 
good for bass. Every true fly fisherman should carry 
one if only for its association. The story of this fly 
is charmingly told by Mary Orvis Marbury in her 
" Favorite Flies and Their Histories." 

It has been said that our Saxon ancestors earned 
the tribal designation " Anglo " because of their great 
skill in hook and line fishing, but it is quite probable 
that fly fishing was introduced into the British Isles by 
the Romans. They are also said to have introduced 
red chickens into Britain and we venture the theory 
that they took them there not only for cock fighting 
but to be assured of plenty of red hackles! 

II 

The Treatyse 

One of the very first books printed in the English 
language was a sporting work: "The Boke of St. 
Albans." This volume was printed by Caxton in 1496 
and contained, in the second edition, the famous 
" Treatyse of Fyshynge with an Angle," generally at- 
tributed to Julianna Berners " Prioress of the nunnery 
of Sopewell, near St. Albans, a lady of noble family 
and celebrated for her learning and accomplishments." 

The book contains a number of the crude drawings 
of that day and, as Marston points out, these old 



14 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

" cutts " have led many to believe that the text is 
equally impractical although, as a matter of fact, it 
contains not a little fishing sense and certainly the 
Good Dame's praises of angling and her advice on the 
ethics of the game are decidedly worth-while. The 
" Treatyse " mentions a number of flies (including the 
red hackle of i^^lian) that still are in use. 

Walton, Barker and Cotton 

This work was followed by a number of other an- 
gling books but the crowning glory of all angling 
literature Is that sweet, simple Idyl " The Compleat 
Angler," written by Izaak Walton, In his 6oth year, 
and first published In London In 1653. It was un- 
fortunate, however, that Father Izaak was not much of 
a fly fisher himself but got much of his information on 
the subject from Thomas Barker who wrote a small 
book entitled " Barker's Delight or the Art of 
Angling." 

Barker, by the way, did not have Walton's quaint 
and appealing viewpoint nor his writing ability but he 
was, I imagine, a more finished and practical angler. 
Besides assisting Walton with his fly fishing problems, 
he has the distinction of being the first angling writer 
to write a practical treatise on tying flies; to distin- 
guish between hackles, palmers and winged flies; to 
describe fly fishing for salmon; to mention a reel and 
gafi, and to point out the possibilities of getting big 
fish at night. Says Walton: "I find that Mr. 
Thomas Barker (A Gentleman who has spent much 



HISTORICAL 15 

time and money in angling) deals so judiciously and 
freely in a little book of his of angling and especially of 
making and angling with a fly for trout, that I will 
give you his directions without much variation." 
Note, dear reader, that Barker ** spent much time and 
money in angling " and be solemnly warned that he 
ended his days In an almshouse — which Is where most 
of us are likely to go if good fishing tackle does not 
become cheaper! 

Subsequent editions of Walton's Angler contained 
chapters on fly fishing by Charles Cotton. Cotton had 
the reputation of being something of a *' village 
cut-up " In his day, but It being unbecoming to point 
out the short-comings of a brother of the angle I will 
not dwell on this. That he was an expert fly fisher 
and a close friend of the simple, pious Iz. Wa., and 
was privileged to address him as " Father," convinces 
us that he was a young man of many admirable quali- 
ties. 

Apology 

Our object in writing this brief and necessarily in- 
complete historical sketch of angling and fly fishing of 
olden da5's Is to trace the evolution of our subject 
mainly and also to impress upon the young angler, 
whether he be young in years or j^oung in experience, 
that in taking up scientific angling he at once becomes 
one of a great brotherhood and practices an art that 
is of ancient and honorable lineage — the only pastime. 
Incidentally, that has produced a literary classic. Men 



i6 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

of science, art, letters, statecraft and holy callings, 
from times immemorial, have hearkened to the call of 
the waters; have been thrilled by the swirling of lusty 
fishes and consoled by the song of the south wind and 
have been made " merie in Spyryte " and consequently 
better men thereby. 



Early Bass Fishing 

One of the very first to write of black bass fishing 
was Bartram, the naturalist. In 1764 he wrote an 
account of " bobbing " in Florida for ** trout " as black 
bass are still called in the South. This method, some- 
what similar to " skittering," as practiced in the North, 
consists of manipulating a large treble hook concealed 
in a tuft of bucktail hair and red feathers called a 
" bob." This " bob " is tied to a very short, strong 
line on a long pole. ** The steersman paddles softly 
and proceeds slowly along shore; he now ingeniously 
swings the bob backwards and forwards, just above 
the surface and sometimes tips the water with it, when 
the unfortunate cheated trout instantly springs from 
under the reeds and seizes the supposed prey." 

Bobbing is still practiced but one could hardly call 
bobbing fly fishing although similar to it in principle 
and not differing a great deal from the " fly fishing " 
methods no doubt pursued by our cave-men ancestors 
in the brave days of old. 



HISTORICAL 17 



First Bass Fly Fishers 

The first fly fishers for bass undoubtedly were the 
early residents of northern Kentucky, the same good 
people who developed bait casting and brought the 
multiplying reel to its present perfection. These men 
were of British ancestry, educated and of more than 
ordinary abilities in many ways. Some of them were 
well-to-do ; all of them found ample leisure to indulge 
their hobby. We suppose that they, or their fore- 
bears, brought fly tackle with them from their old 
homes and northern Kentucky, being neither moun- 
tainous nor far enough north for trout, they no doubt 
used this tackle for taking the bass that were plentiful 
in the near-by streams. Dr. Henshall informs me that 
the first man to take up fly fishing for bass seriously 
was J. L. Sage, the reel maker of Frankfort, Ky., later 
of Lexington. He made a rod and reel especially for 
fishing for black bass with flies as early as 1848. 

Northern Writers 

While these early bass fishers were plying their 
craft in Kentucky, bass fishing did not receive the at- 
tention it deserved in the North. Frank Forester 
(Henry W. Herbert), the popular sporting writer of 
his day, probably never caught a black bass. In an 
appendix to his "Field Sports" (1847) he says: 
"Other fish there are, the name of which is legion; 
the best, perhaps, of these, and the most sporting — 
after the Trout — is the Black Bass of the lakes, 



1 8 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

which will rise freely to a large red and gray fly, made 
of Macaw, or parrot and Silver Pheasant or Guinea 
Fowl. . . . There is also a fish called " Trout " to 
the southward, which is certainly not a trout, though 
I do not know its correct appellation, which is eagerly 
pursued and considered a game fish." The " trout," 
of course, is none other than our friend the large- 
mouthed black bass. 

Brown in his "American Anglers Guide" (1849) 
went the limit in misinformation by stating that " the 
black bass has a swallow tail." 

Dr. Bethune, the first American editor of Walton's 
" Angler," a bookish man and a good fisherman, had a 
better idea of the bass than any of his contemporaries. 
In one of his notes (1848) he says: ". . . it 
is impossible to refrain from a brief notice of that fish 
which is, next to the Salmon family, most prized by 
the American angler in fresh waters. Angling for 
him may be begun in June, when he is to be found in 
about 14 feet of water, among the grass. . . . Nothing 
can exceed the vigor and liveliness of his play; for he 
will try every art, even to flinging himself high out 
of the water, that he may shake off the hook ; and the 
rod must not be kept perpendicular, but moved in 
various directions, and sometimes even partly sub- 
merged, to counteract his rushes, and hold him under 
the surface. . . . The bass takes the fly freely; a 
favorite fly being made on a stout hook (the fish's 
mouth is large) with wings of scarlet cloth and a body 
of white feather. Other colors have been tried though 



HISTORICAL 19 

not to much advantage. But the best fly is made of 
scarlet feather or cloth (which is better) with a piece 
of pickerel's tongue, cut in a fork so as to hang from 
the bend of the hook." The latter to this day is a 
favorite lure of the bait caster, but, almost needless to 
say, not of the fly fisherman! 

The only mention of the bass by Thad. Norris in 
his "American Anglers Book" (1864) states that he 
caught them skittering a spoon. Genio Scott in his 
"Fishing in American Waters" (1869) says nothing 
more of the bass than : " This fish is taken by casting 
an artificial fly or by trolling with a feathered spoon, 
with a minnow impaled on a gang of hooks and form- 
ing spinning tackle." Robert Roosevelt in his " Su- 
perior Fishing" (1865) says: "That evening was 
devoted to the black bass which took fly and spoon 
greedily " but as trolling a fly was more commonly 
practiced than casting it he probably used that method. 

That the sport of fly fishing for bass was a long 
time in getting general recognition may be seen by re- 
ferring to the files of Forest and Stream, where one 
will find that a spirited controversy was waged in the 
early '70's on the subject of whether or not a black 
bass will rise to a fly ! 

Father of Black Bass Fishing 

The title of " The Father of Black Bass Fishing " 
has been earned by Dr. James Alexander Henshall. 
It was his writings in the periodicals and particularly 
his "Book of the Black Bass" (1881) that popular- 



20 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

ized bass fishing in America. His prophecy made in 
this book that the black bass would eventually become 
the game fish of the people has been borne out by 
events. 

Dr. Henshall was trained as a surgeon but gave up 
that calling to engage in fish culture — work that ap- 
pealed more to his tastes — and his efforts along these 
lines were crowned with unusual success. At this 
writing (December, 191 8) he is hale and hearty at the 
ripe age of 83, bearing out Dame Berners' testimony 
that angling assures " that your aege may be the more 
floure and the lenger to endure." 

Present and Future 

At present fly fishing for bass is enjoying a great re- 
vival, more interest being taken in it than in many 
years and as the advance of civilization unfortunately 
destroys more trout streams and requires trout fishers 
to travel farther, many of them, by necessity, will turn 
to waters nearer home and cast their fraudulent 
feathers to the doughty knight in shining, green armor 
that " inch for inch, pound for pound, is the gamest 
fish that swims." 

Early Trout Fishing 

The early history of fly fishing for trout in this 
country is just as disappointing as that of fly fishing 
for bass. Capt. John Smith in his " A Description of 
New England," published in 16 16, said: "Much 
salmon some haue found vp the Riuers as they haue 



HISTORICAL 21 

passed," but the doughty captain was no sportsman, 
for in his description of cod fishing he said : " And 
is it not pretty sport to pvll vp two pence, six pence 
and twelue pence as fast as you can hale and veare a 
h'ne ! " But there is no doubt that the amazing abun- 
dance of fish life had much to do in attracting men to 
the New World and several of these old chroniclers 
made mention of *' troute," meaning our common char, 
found in all New England 'brooks, and of the land 
locked salmon in Maine waters. 

The first American anglers practiced their art along 
the Atlantic sea board. Frank Forrester in the first 
American edition of Walton's " Angler " (1847) gives 
a detailed description of trout fishing on Long Island 
and the editor of that fine edition of Walton, Dr. 
Bethune, gives many illuminating notes on trouting in 
his day. Daniel Webster and many other anglers an- 
nually journeyed to Cape Cod, attracted by the good 
trouting to be had there. 



TACKLE 

CONCERNING THE TOOLS OF THE CRAFT 

TACKLE is something that anglers use part of 
the time and talk about and tinker with all of 
the time. No man can say what the proper 
tackle is for any kind of fishing as every experienced 
angler is likely to have ideas of his own on that sub- 
ject. 

There are, however, certain conclusions that genera- 
tions of skilled anglers have reached through cumula- 
tive experience and these are here set down for the 
benefit of the beginner and the inexpert; I also in- 
clude some opinions of my own and permission is hereby 
granted the reader to disagree with me. 

It is natural for an angler to love fine tackle and 
he should buy the best whenever he can. However, 
all anglers are not rich men and this is especially 
true of bass fishermen since the black bass, because of 
his wide distribution, is essentially a poor man's game 
fish. For this reason I have tried to cover the tackle 
subject as practically as possible because it is appropri- 
ate, not necessarily expensive, tackle that makes fly 
fishing a pleasure in itself regardless of the heft of one's 
basket at the end of the day. 

22 



TACKLE 23 

THE ROD 

Historical 

The " rods " used by the earliest anglers evidently 
were of native cane of some sort or switches cut " a 
la small boy " from the stream side. The earliest de- 
scription of a rod and its making, will be found in 
Berners' ** Treatyse." She goes into detail on the 
selection and curing of the wood and the making of the 
rod which, if followed out carefully, would produce 
a fairly good fishing tool of well seasoned and cor- 
rectly proportioned wood. 

The early fly fishermen of Kentucky caught their 
bass with rods of native reed, lo to 14 feet in length 
and weighing from 4 to 6 ounces. Used with the finest 
line and excellent reels of their own manufacture, 
it is apparent that their tackle was as light and neat, 
if not as luxurious, as what we use to-day. 

Dr. Bethune (1848) describes the rod of his choice 
as follows: '' A fly rod should not be more than 14% 
feet at the farthest ; the butt solid, for you need weight 
there to balance the instrument and your spare tips 
will be carried more safely in the handle of your land- 
ing net. ... A rod in 3 pieces is preferred at the 
stream but inconvenient to carry and, if well made, 
four will not interfere materially with its excellence; 
i. e. : the butt of Ash, the first joint of hickor}^ the 
second of lancewood and the tip of East India bam- 
boo or, as I like better, the extreme of the tip of 



24 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

whalebone well spliced on. The rod should be sen- 
sibly elastic down to the hand, but proportionately so, 
for if one part seem not proportionately pliant, the 
rod is weak somewhere. In some rods there is what 
is called the double action and such a one I used for 
years and thought nothing could be better; but, on 
trying another stiffer, though at first awkward in its 
use, I learned to like it better." 

Combination Wood Rods 

Early American fly rods were often made up of 
different woods, as described by Dr. Bethune and 
Wells expresses a preference for this type of wood rod. 
They are still thus made, and sold for very low prices 
in England, but American makers do not catalog 
them. This is regrettable since a rod with butt of 
second growth white ash and middle joint and tip of 
lance or greenheart can be made and sold for a few 
dollars and is ideal for the beginner who can afford to 
invest only a very small amount in a fly rod. 

At present the most favored fly rod materials are 
steel, solid woods and split bamboo. 

Steel Rods 

A present-day steel rod of the better class is won- 
derfully well made, being of a high class of material 
imported especially for the purpose. The steel rod 
is an excellent tool for certain kinds of fishing but the 
steel fly rod is very heavy and has a listless action com- 
pared with a rod of wood or bamboo, although con- 



TACKLE 25 

siderable improvement has been made in them of late 
years. Compared with the old st54e steel rod the 
extra light weight model handles a line fairly well 
and when wrapped solidly with silk it is enormously 
strong. A friend who fishes for the heavy bass in 
Florida uses a rod of this kind and speaks highly of it. 
The regular steel rod of 9 feet weighs 8^4 ounces; 
the extra light weight style about 5^ ounces. 

All Wood Rods 

Wells in his " Fly Rods and Fly Tackle " lists and 
describes more than 20 kinds of wood suitable for 
rod making but modern makers have settled upon 
lancewood, dagama, greenheart and bethabarra as be- 
ing the most satisfactory. 

Practically every angling writer and rod maker ad- 
vises the purchase of a good wood rod if the angler 
cannot afford a hand-made one of split bamboo. In 
another work ^ I have disagreed with this advice as 
regards the short bait casting rod, but as an unusual 
amount of skill and very good material are required to 
make a first class bamboo fly rod perhaps a well-made 
wood rod is the proper tool for the angler wishing to 
invest only a small amount, or for the beginner who, 
later on, may acquire more positive opinions as to what 
constitutes a good fly rod. Later, I will discuss the 
cheap bamboo rod. 

In considering the purchase of a wood rod the 
angler must bear in mind that the merits of the sticks 

1 " Practical Bait Casting"; Macmillan Co.; New York, 1918. 



26 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

used in making a rod have much to do with the ex- 
cellence of the finished product. 

Lancewood 

Perhaps I am prejudiced as regards lancewood as 
my first fly rod was of that material and nobly did it 
perform. The best type of lancewood rod probably is 
made up with an ash butt as rods made entirely of 
lancewood are a trifle heavy although some anglers 
prefer them. 

Lancewood comes from Cuba, the best sticks being 
light yellow in color and free from dark stains. One 
of the largest American tackle houses claims that 
lancewood has lost favor mainly because of inferior 
material being sold as this wood. 

A first class hand made rod of lance can be bought 
for about six dollars; a nine footer weighs about 6^ 
ounces. 

Dagama 

Dagama also comes from Cuba and is similar to 
lancewood but is said to be more durable and free 
from pin knots. It is heavier than lance, a nine foot 
rod weighing 6I/2 ounces, and a rod of this material 
costs about one dollar more. 

Greenheart 

In England greenheart is the most popular rod 
making material, not excepting bamboo, although the 
latter is making great headway as its merits become bet- 



TACKLE 27 

ter known. Greenheart comes from South America 
and is of the color of walnut, being strong and fairly 
resilient. It takes a nice finish and makes a handsome 
rod but compared with bamboo it is somewhat heavy 
and not quite as " snappy " in action — which is true 
of all wood rods. 

Most of the greenheart used in this country comes 
from England where tackle makers have become skilled 
in the selection, cutting and curing of this wood. A 
good British greenheart rod can be bought in England 
for a few dollars and an excellent one laid down in 
America costs from eight to tw^elve dollars, depending 
on fittings. A good American maker lists his green- 
heart rods at nine dollars. An average English-made 
greenheart rod of 9 feet will weigh 7 ounces. 

Bethabarra 

Bethabarra, or washaba, is the most expensive wood 
commonly used in rod making. It is a dark wood 
coming from British Guiana and is very strong and 
many anglers prefer it to any other wood. It is 
slightly heavier than greenheart and is said to hold 
its shape better. A nine foot American made betha- 
barra rod weighs about 6% ounces and costs eleven 
dollars. A superior selection is sold under the name 
noibwood. 

Bamboo 

Beyond a doubt the best fly rod material is good 
bamboo properly selected, cured, split, glued, and cor- 



28 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

rectly proportioned. It possesses strength combined 
with lightness, resiliency, pliancy, power and balance 
in greater degree than either steel or solid woods. 

Formerly anglers and rod makers could draw fine 
distinctions between male and female Calcutta and 
Tonkin " canes," but under present conditions good 
Calcutta is very rare and the word " Calcutta " is be- 
coming merely a trade term. Good bamboo of all 
kinds is more difficult to obtain and a good piece of 
Tonkin is better than an indifferent one of Calcutta. 
Male Calcutta, however, is supposed to be superior 
to either the female or Tonkin. The cheapest split 
cane is known as steel vine or African cane. It is light 
colored and makes up into good, inexpensive fly rods. 

Six Strip and Eight Strip 

We assume that you know that bamboo is split and 
then glued together in order to utilize the hard outer 
enamel and reduce the diameter of the pieces. Some 
rods are made of bamboo split into six sections (hex- 
agonal) and some in eight (octagonal) but the six 
strip construction is more often used. Some makers 
claim that the eight strip, being more nearly a true 
cylinder, possesses better action but this seems to be 
more theoretical than practical, while the tiny tips of 
an eight strip rod are likely to be *' soft " due to the 
comparative amount of glue necessary to hold the 
pieces together. Eight strip rods cost more than the 
six strip and if the angler wants a round rod they are 
preferable to the six strip planed down as planing cer- 



TACKLE 29 

tainly must injure a rod. As a general rule a well- 
made six strip rod leaves little to be desired. 

Special Feature Rods 

A novelty in bamboo rod making is w^hat is known 
as the " double built " rods which are made of two 
layers of split and glued bamboo, one within the other. 
They are heavier and strong, and it is claimed, hold 
their shape better, than ordinary rods and are popular 
for sea and salmon fishing but unnecessary, I believe, 
in single hand fly rods. 

An English innovation is the steel center rod which 
consists of a fine piece of well-tempered steel running 
as a core through sections of regular split bamboo. 
The makers claim this construction gives a rod of 
superior casting power with only % of an ounce added 
weight. Friends who possess rods of this kind are 
enthusiastic admirers of this construction for heavy 
fishing. 

An American maker supplies a rod of " twisted bam- 
boo " which he claims equalizes the strain and pro- 
duces better action. I have never tried a rod of this 
type so am unable to pass on its merits, but Perry 
Frazer, in his *' Amateur Rodmaking," speaks well of 
it. 

British and American Rods Compared 

As a general rule British rods are heavier and longer 
than those used in this country although the American 
light rod idea is becoming popular in England and 



30 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

British rod makers have been forced to cater to this 
demand both at home and abroad. The average Brit- 
ish angler, however, clings to his 12 and 14 foot rods 
because of his inborn conservatism. 

American anglers marvel at the heavy rods and fine 
terminal tackle used by their British brethren but, as 
a matter of fact, the difference in weight between 
American and English rods is in ounces and not in 
power. British rod makers use heavier fittings and 
their rods are built heavier in the butt which often is 
increased by the use of a button and spike that adds 
as much as 1I/2 ounces to a rod's weight. 

Because of this heft in the butt the American angler, 
whose knowledge of British fly rods has been gained 
by reading British tackle catalogs, is surprised to 
learn that a British-made rod of 10 feet and 8 ounces 
" swings " just as easily as an American rod of the 
same length and of 2 ounces less weight. 

Comparing the best British and American rods I am 
of the opinion that, even after making allowances for 
the Britisher's heavier construction, American rods 
possess more casting power. On the other hand they 
are poorer finished. That is, they do not display the 
niceties that one expects when paying twenty-five or 
more dollars for a fly rod. Good American fly rods 
are severely plain while British rods are invariably 
more distinctive in appearance and, with the exception 
of ferrules, better fitted. My sympathies are with the 
angler who pays thirty dollars or more for a fine fly 
rod and who objects to paying three dollars additional 



TACKLE 31 

for agate first guide and tip-tops and proportionately 
for other " extras." 

Number of Pieces 

Perhaps the ideal fly rod, like the ideal bait-casting 
rod, would be a single " stick " but such a construction 
would not fit in well with American fishing conditions 
— imagine rushing for the 1 140 with a nine or ten foot 
rod case! The same objection, but in less degree, ap- 
plies to the rods of two pieces of equal length, which 
are popular in Europe. The average American fly 
rod is made in three pieces — butt, middle joint and 
tip, with an extra tip — and this seems to meet with 
general approval. 

Wells maintains that the proper form is the three 
piece rod with an independent handle, his reason being 
that it enables the angler to turn his rod from time to 
time and thus equalize the strain and avoid a " set." 
It is a reasonable theory. '* Tourist rods " are usually 
made up of three tips, two middle joints, two butt 
joints and an independent handle, for use when the 
angler goes into the wilderness far from the tackle 
repair shops. Naturally a rod of this type is expen- 
sive. 

The trunk, suitcase or " Sunday " rod is made in 
four, five or six pieces for compactness and extreme 
portability. Its action, because of the number of fer- 
rules is likely to be impaired somewhat and such a rod 
is recommended only when circumstances make it im- 
perative. I know an angling parson who toted one 



32 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

of these rods in the tail of his frock coat when going 
about his parish and many a lusty fish he " snaked " 
out of wayside streams. The combination rod, con- 
sisting of a number of joints to be used interchange- 
ably to make either a bait or fly rod, is a handy 
tool on canoe trips where weight and space are mat- 
ters of great moment, and when one wishes to cast 
both bait and fly, but it is generally the fly rod end 
of the combination that is least satisfactory. 



TACKLE 
Ferrules 

EARLY American rods were " spliced " and 
many British rods are now made that way. 
That is, the end of the joints or pieces are 
fashioned to fit snugly together and the joining is done 
by lashing with a piece of thong, wire or adhesive tape. 
The British have some strange, and to us almost primi- 
tive, ideas on ferrules. The best makers have some 
locking device such as a hook on the male ferrule to 
engage with a corresponding projection on the female 
or when they do use a suction or friction ferrule they 
add a dowel or pin which American rod makers dis- 
carded several generations ago. 

The best American ferrules are serrated or split. 
The serrated ferrule is crown-shaped so that each point 
rests on the flat face or angle of a bamboo rod. 
Theoretically, at least, this makes the change between 
resilient wood and unyielding metal less abrupt and 
eases the strain at the joints — the vulnerable part of 
a rod. The split ferrule works on the same principle. 

Good American ferrules are made of German silver, 
tempered and retempered until they have almost the 
hardness of steel. They are shouldered to avoid un- 
necessary cutting away of wood and the female ferrule 

33 



34 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

is reenforced with a welt at the open end and is water- 
proofed by a partition or floor at its base to prevent 
water getting at the wood. In short, the better class 
of American ferrule is a decided success. 

Grasps 

The best material for the hand grasp is cork, either 
solid or of cork discs over a wood core. Cheap rods 
have a thin sheathing of cork on the grasp which soon 
shows signs of wear and the same objection applies to 
the celluloid and cane wound grasps. The form of 
the grasp is a matter of taste. The swelled grasp is 
large in the middle and tapers at the front and rear 
while the shaped or Wells' grasp flares at both ends. 
I have rods with both types and can notice little differ- 
ence in them. 

Reel Seat, etc. 

The reel seat on a fly rod is placed below the hand 
to keep the reel out of the way and to add weight be- 
low the grip for leverage in casting. The reel seat 
may be either metal, celluloid or " skeleton " — the lat- 
ter usually being a piece of grooved cedar. 

The metal reel seat should be of German silver as 
this material is superior to the nickel plated brass used 
on the cheaper rods. German silver is strong, its fin- 
ish is permanent and never chips and while it tarnishes 
slightly it can easily be polished. I rather like the 
British idea of oxidizing all metal parts. With the 
skeleton or celluloid reel seats a metal butt cap is put 



TACKLE 



35 



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36 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

on the rod to take the rear end of the reel base and a 
metal ring slides down over the forward end. This 
is adequate for all practical purposes although some 
makers supply their reel seats with locking devices de- 
signed to hold the reel more securely. This cap, ring 
winding check or taper should also be of German silver. 
English rods are usually furnished with a " button " 
or knob of wood or hard rubber at the extreme butt to 
hold against the body while playing a fish. A detach- 
able butt of soft rubber is sold by all tackle dealers and 
it is a good substitute for the permanent button. 
Many English rods have a metal spear at the butt, an 
idea that has never met with favor among American 
anglers. 

Guides and Tip Tops 

For many years fly rods were made with rings and 
keepers but at present the snake and English bridge 
guides are most often used. All agate guides are ob- 
jectionable on a fly rod because of their weight but an 
agate or imitation agate first or hand guide and tip top 
(tip guide) are desirable as they save wear on the line 
as well as on the guide itself. Steel guides are prefer- 
able to those of German silver as the latter are softer 
and soon wear and fray the line. 

Windings 

Windings are put on a bamboo rod to help hold the 
sections together and for decoration. They also have 
something to do with the rod's action. They are usu- 



TACKLE 37 

ally put on in clusters and the color is a matter of 
taste. There is nothing in metal windings that recom- 
mends their use on a fly rod. 

Finish 

The usual finish of a fly rod is a number of coats 
of good varnish. Some anglers prefer their bamboo 
rods to be stained dark green or brown to harmonize 
with stream-side surroundings on the theory that such 
a finish is less likely to scare a shy fish. I do not be- 
lieve that the finish of a rod or its fittings have much 
to do with its visibility to the fish but these dark rods, 
wound with " contrasty " silk and finished oxidized 
are certainly very handsome and if an angler has an 
artistic craving for such things and wishes to use a 
shy fish for an excuse I, for one, will not argue the 
question with him. 

Essentials 

Several American angling waiters once had a contro- 
versy as to whether the chief end of a fishing rod is 
its ability to cast well or to hook and play a fish prop- 
erly. To me it seemed like arguing on the relative 
merits of one's right and left leg since a good rod must 
do both well. 

To meet these requirements a rod must possess 
strength and power combined with lightness and bal- 
ance, pliancy (bend) combined with resiliency (spring), 
and these so related as to cast a reasonably long line 
straight and true with the minimum of effort on the 



38 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

angler's part, and to hook and land the fish that rise 
to our flies. 

Action 

Good action is an indefinite term when applied to a 
fly rod as every angler's idea of good action is likely 
to be different from that of his brothers. Some fly 
fishermen are slow, methodical w^orkers, cast with great 
deliberation, and prefer the long '' weepy " type of rod 
and its smooth action ; others cast " snappy," handle a 
long line without much regard to delicacy and will use 
nothing but a rod stiff from butt to tip. Between 
these extremes you will find a multitude of opinions 
more or less reasonable. 

The English have the theories of rod action whittled 
down to a fine point, even producing devices to register 
the number of vibrations in a rod but such matters be- 
long to the manufacturer not the angler. 

Ideal Bass Rod 

Without going into a tiresome discussion of the tech- 
nicalities of rod action the ideal fly rod for bass fishing 
would be along the lines of the rod used by the dry fly 
fishermen or the tournament type of rod — a rod 
often described as having " plenty of back bone." Such 
a rod is a powerful caster, capable of handling a longer 
line than is commonly used in trouting in this country 
and with considerable *' horse power " in the upper 
third which is needed as a bass's mouth is bonier and 
tougher than a trout's and at times one must strike 



TACKLE 39 

hard. Furthermore, bass flies are bulkier and take up 
more water than trout flies and the bass fly fisherman 
is more often called upon to use spinner, cork bodied 
flies and other heavy lures. Finally, the bass averages 
much more in w^eight than do the trout of most vi^aters 
and like the trout he is often caught in cluttered-up 
places where he cannot always be given his head. Such 
a rod, if of fair weight and length, naturally is not an 
easy one to use all day and any modifications of it 
should be along the lines of making it slightly more 
pliant for ease of casting but the angler should remem- 
ber that the farther he goes in this direction the farther 
he gets away from the ideal rod from the standpoint of 
bass fishing efKciency. 

Length and Weight 

The rods commonly used for bass fly fishing range 
from 9 to 10^/2 ^eet, both inclusive, the g, gVo and 10 
foot lengths being the most popular. Just what length 
to select depends on the preference and the physique 
of the man that intends to use it. By this I do not 
mean that I subscribe to the fine drawn theory that 
one's rod should be arbitrarily gauged by one's height 
but a man of slight stature would derive more satisfac- 
tion by fishing with a nine foot rod than one of greater 
length, since the ideal bass rod is not an easy one to 
" swing " for long periods. 

A rod of American manufacture of the correct ac- 
tion should weigh from 4% to 5^ ounces in the 9 
foot length; 5^ to 5% in the 9% foot and 6 to 6^ 



40 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

ounces in the lO. One might say that these lengths 
and weights are almost standard in regions where fly 
fishing for bass is commonly practiced. 

For fishing where bass run heavier than ordinarily, 
such as in the southern states; for weedy rivers and 
lakes where the fish must be landed quickly or never; 
for wide, wind-swept bodies of water or for British 
rods made along British lines a half or three-quarters of 
an ounce may be added to the 9 and 9% footers and a 
full olince or even more to those of 10 feet. 

One may have his rod made especially for bass fishing 
but rods made for dry fly trout fishing often prove ideal 
for our purpose and any fairly heavy trout rod may be 
used in an emergency. 

Trout Rods 

Of the making of many trout rods there is no end 
and there is a surprising variation of opinion among 
experienced trout fishermen as to what a trout rod 
should be. Perhaps it would avoid confusion if they 
were put into classes in a general way which I will 
now proceed to attempt. 

The " Baby " Trout Rods 

The so-called " baby " or '' fairy " trout rods are 
dainty little fishing tools seldom over 7I/2 feet in 
length and weighing from less than an ounce to 2^2 
ounces or so. They are not, as one might imagine, 
mere toys to hang on the walls of the den nor are they 
practical for general fishing conditions. Casts of from 



TACKLE 41 

fifty to seventy-five feet have been made with rods of 
this type and fish up to two pounds have been landed 
with them but they are for the expert angler and for 
the most favorable conditions, such as casting from a 
boat in water where there are no snags or obstructions 
of any kind so that the fish can be played with con- 
siderable freedom. The difficulties of making a rod 
of this light weight that will stand up under any kind 
of fishing bring their cost up. 

The Brook Rod 

A little heavier than the foregoing we have the type 
of rod that might be called the brook rod, which ranges 
from 7^ to 8V2 f^^t in length and vv^eighs under four 
ounces. These fine little tools are perfection for fish- 
ing small streams where " lunker " trout are not often 
found. 

Average Trout Rods 

The rod used by the general run of trout fishers will 
be 9 or 9% feet long and weigh anywhere from 4 to 
5% ounces. Such a rod meets the average (if there be 
such a thing) fishing conditions that prevail in Ameri- 
can waters. There is a wide range of weight here and 
an equally broad choice of action and relative stiffness. 

Heavy Trout Rods 

The heavy trout rod class overlaps the bass rods and 
the same weights and lengths are often used. That 
is, 9 to 10 feet in length and from 5 to 8 ounces in 



42 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

weight, the latter being for the heavier fishing such as 
is found in Lake Superior waters and the larger streams 
of the far west. 

Dry Fly Rods 

The dry fly rod approximates the bass fly rod, or 
rather the bass fly fisher has seized upon the dry fly 
rod — or one similar to it — as his very own. Ameri- 
can anglers most often use the so-called tournament 
weights in their dry fly fishing. That is, 9 foot rods 
weighing 4% ounces and 9l^ footers that scale 5% 
ounces. Anglers often work out their own ideas in dry 
fly rods and we know one expert who fishes with float- 
ing flies with an 8% foot rod that weighs four ounces. 
It is interesting to note that the late Mr. F. M. Hal- 
ford, the famous English dry fly expert, reduced the 
weight of his dry fly rods as he gained in experience. 
His last model, which he pronounced as perfect, was 
9% feet in length and weighing with spear and other 
heavy British fittings, 8 ounces, 14 drachms. We note 
a similar tendency among our more expert dry fly men. 

Testing 

The best test for a fly rod is a season's use on the 
lake or stream but no tackle dealer is going to sell his 
rods on that basis. The average inexperienced fly 
fisherman will go into a tackle store, pick up a rod, 
swing it a little, discuss it much and then buy or re- 
ject it, depending on the salesmanship of the tackle 
man. Perhaps a skilled rod maker can get an idea of 



TACKLE 43 

a rod's action by swinging it a few times ; I cannot and 
I am sure that the average angler can do no better. 

To really know what one is buying he should rig 
the rod up with reel and line and actually cast with 
it. For this reason I prefer to buy from a small tackle 
shop where I am known and where the owner will per- 
mit me to take a rod home and give it a try-out. That 
is the real way to buy a rod but it is not always possible. 

In buying a wood rod do not get one that is stained 
which hides imperfection of grain. Examine it care- 
fully for bad spots. In buying any rod hold it out 
straight and " sight " along its length. It should 
droop a trifle at the tip; if the dip is extreme try an- 
other as this fault will increase when the rod is put 
into use. A tip may be a trifle too stiff in a new rod as 
use will remedy that. If the rod is satisfactory so far 
slowly roll it over — the droop should remain constant 
during a complete turn of the rod ; if the tip is inclined 
to stick out at an angle during the rolling process it 
signifies a bad spot some place. 

Now put a reel and line on the rod, run the line 
through the guides and tip-top and fasten the end of 
the line to some heavy object. Then put a strain on 
the rod and note its curve. When you release the 
strain the tip should fly back to normal with speed and 
snap and a good rod should stand this test from every 
angle. 

Finally, make a few imaginary casts with the rod 
and note if it feels right in your hand. If it does you 
have tested it as much as possible under the circum- 



44 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

stances. It is better to take a little care in selecting a 
rod in the first place than to tr)^ to *' get used to it " 
later on if you find it not up to your ideal. 

High Grade Bamboo Rods 

We have given some idea of comparative prices of 
wood rods but the great range in prices in split bamboo 
rods is something bewildering to the beginner. They 
can be bought for from seventy-five cents to seventy- 
five dollars. Obviously one is not going to get a first 
class rod for seventy-five cents nor for seven dollars 
and fifty cents. On the other hand it is not necessary 
to invest thirty or more dollars for a rod fit to fish 
with. For from ten to twenty-five dollars one can 
get a first class bamboo fly rod — one good enough 
for the father of his country if it is selected carefully. 

The raw materials — unsplit bamboo, fittings and 
varnish — of a thirty-five dollar fly rod can be bought 
in the open market for about twelve dollars. The dif- 
ference represents profit, workmanship and selection. 
It requires not only considerable mechanical skill to 
produce a good bamboo fly rod but rare good judg- 
ment as well. From hundreds of pieces of unsplit 
" canes," all looking to the untrained eye pretty much 
alike, the rod maker must select a few coming up to his 
standard and likely, in his estimation, to produce the 
ideal he has in mind. Pieces with " shakes," borings, 
soft spots and other imperfections are discarded and 
the ones selected are then cut out roughly by machin- 
ery or split by hand with a dull knife, when other im- 



TACKLE 45 

perfections are often discovered. From what re- 
mains the skilled rod maker matches up as to tough- 
ness, resiliency, etc., enough pieces to make a rod. 
These pieces are carefully cured and then tied to- 
gether in the form of a rod and again tested. At 
this critical stage unforeseen imperfections may come 
to light. If they finally come up to standard 
the pieces are glued up and the rod making proceeds. 
This, in a brief and general way, is the method of 
making a fine hand-made split bamboo rod. The pieces 
that were rejected in the various tests may go into 
cheaper rods. From this the prospective rod buyer can 
get an idea as to why bamboo rods vary so in price 
and why certain makers, who have reputations to main- 
tain, charge what appears to be a " stiff " price for 
their output which, so far as surface appearances go, is 
nothing extraordinary. A few makers also have secret 
processes for improving bamboo. 

Cheap Bamboo Rods 

Unfortunately all anglers cannot afford to pay 
twenty or more dollars for a fly rod and he then can 
buy either a hand-made one of solid wood or a cheaper 
one of bamboo. 

As stated before, a fine hand-made bamboo rod is a 
matter of selection but American factory eflficiency has 
been applied to producing rods as well as other things 
and everything considered the present day machine- 
made bamboo rod is surprisingly good — for the money. 
The splitting machines used in modern rod factories 



46 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

do remarkably well when one considers the good, bad 
and Indifferent material they work with and by mak- 
ing a careful selection one often gets a fairly good 
rod for a small investment. I have owned a number 
of cheap bamboo fly rods that were good fishing tools 
and it is a notable fact that you see more rods on the 
streams costing less than fifteen dollars than those 
costing more than that amount. 

Care and Repair 

The chief merit of the steel rod is that it requires 
little care and stands much abuse. Bare spots should 
be touched up with enamel when they appear to guard 
against rust and the rod should be wiped, preferably 
with an oily rag, before being put away and the fer- 
rules should be kept oiled. Otherwise a steel rod will 
take care of itself. Wood rods are inclined to dry rot 
and to warp or become crooked and they should be 
kept well varnished at all times — which protects them 
from changes of temperature and moisture. 

The principal objection to the bamboo rod is that it 
requires care. A good bamboo rod should not be used 
for trolling or for strip, slack line, Lake Greenwood 
or pump pole casting. If you want to use these fishing 
methods get a cheap wood or steel rod for the purpose. 

No fly rod should be left lying on the ground at all 
or in a boat for any length of time; neither should it 
be permitted to lean against a tree or side of a building 
and don't leave it lying in the hot sun if you can avoid 



TACKLE 47 

it. Every well-regulated camp should have a rack for 
the rods. 

After using a rod straighten it carefully with the 
hands, wipe it off with a dry cloth and insert the fer- 
rule stoppers, if your rod has them, before putting it in 
its case. It is a good plan to use tips alternately and 
have one hanging up straightening at all times. 

Keep the ferrules oiled or rub them along the side 
of your nose when rigging up. Never twist a ferrule 
that sticks. Grasp it as close up as possible and pull 
straight and steady; get some one to help you if nec- 
essary. A friend avoids all ferrule trouble by carrying 
a small pack of the finest steel wool. When a ferrule 
gets balky he rubs the male end with the wool, oils it, 
inserts it as far as it will go in the female, gives it a 
couple of turns and repeats until he has a good fit. 
Never use pumice, emery or a file on a ferrule. 

The best place to store a rod not in use is in a dry 
room of cool and even temperature. Hang it up by 
the tip if possible, and it will always keep straight; 
otherwise hang each joint small end up. If the tips 
have a set straighten them carefully with the hands 
and suspend them with a small weight at the lower 
end. 

If kept in a warm room, especially where there is 
steam heat, the wood will expand and shrink with the 
varying temperature and this will loosen the ferrules. 
Go over your rods early in the spring and either send 
them to the tackle repair shop or put them in shape 



48 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

yourself. Frayed windings, and sometimes all of them, 
should be renewed, shaky ferrules reset and the rod 
given several coats of good varnish applied with a 
camel hair brush in a warm room and dried where 
dust cannot get at it. In fact frequent varnishing is 
" heap good medicine " for wood and bamboo rods 
and one could pervert a proverb in this connection: 
Spare the varnish and spoil the rod. If the tips have 
developed a tendency toward " softness " renew the 
windings at closer intervals. If you must keep your 
rod on its form be careful not to tie the strings too 
tightly. 

When going on a fishing trip far from home it is 
advisable to carry one of the repair kits sold by the 
tackle dealer. I hope you will never have to use it 
but you will feel better if you have one along. 

Cases 

A rod case is a good investment. Rods carried on 
forms in a light canvas bag are likely to get smashed. 
The cases of sole leather are best but expensive. The 
stiffened, leather covered cases are sold at a low price 
and do nicely. A cloth roll of many partitions — one 
piece of a rod to a pocket — to go Into the case econo- 
mizes on space and enable? one to carry a number of 
rods or several rods and a landing net frame and 
handle. 



REELS 
Historical 

THE first mention I can find of a reel is in 
" Barker's Delight or Art of Angling " pub- 
lished in 1 65 1. He says: "Within two foot 
of the bottom of the rod there was a hole made for to 
put in a wind, to turn with a barrell, to gather up his 
line and loose it at his pleasure." 

Walton, who acknowledges his indebtedness to 
Barker for fly fishing information, mentions a reel but 
apparently never saw one. The dear old fellow 
cleverly " camouflages " his lack of information by 
merely mentioning " a wheel " and dismissing the whole 
subject with the remark: "which is to be observed 
better by seeing one of them than by a large demon- 
stration of words." 

Venables showed a picture of a reel in his " Ex- 
perienced Angler" in 1662. 

The winch of Barker, Walton and Venables was a 
large, grooved wooden spool of the type still used in 
England and known as the Nottingham reel. 

The early Kentucky bass fly fishermen, according to 
Henshall, used a reel similar to the Nottingham which 
they made from a large sewing thread spool fitted with 
a frame, handle and base made by the local tinker. 

49 



50 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

Some of them also used imported reels or the multipli- 
ers which they made themselves with wonderful skill 
as early as 1810/ 

The earliest click reel turned out especially for fly 
fishing for bass was made by J. L. Sage of Frankfort, 
Ky., in 1848. It is still in excellent fishing condition 
and is of solid brass measuring 2% inches in diameter 
and 1^4 inches between head and tail plates. It has 
a permanent click which is placed in the head instead 
of the rear as is usual in click reels. It has an unusu- 
ally sweet song. 

This reel was presented by Mr. Sage to Dr. Hen- 
shall during the World's Fair at Chicago, who in turn 
has passed it down to the writer. Needless to say 
it is one of my prize possessions. The reel is pictured 
in the illustration showing the correct way to grasp 
the rod. 



Use of the Reel 

Compared with the bait-casting reel the winch for 
fly fishing plays a minor part. It is used mainly as a 
storage place for surplus line, to wind in excess slack 
and occasionally, depending on one's style of fishing, to 
play a fish. 

1 Henshall credits the invention of the multiplying reel to Gee. 
Snyder of Kentucky, giving the date of his first reel about 1810. 
According to R. B. Marston, editor of the Fishing Gazette (London) 
Onesimus Ustonson advertised " the best sort of multiplying brass 
winches, both stop and plain " in 1770. 



TACKLE 51 

The Single Action Reel 

Many generations of fly fishermen have favored the 
single action or click reel and it seems to meet all re- 
quirements, being free from complications and of suffi- 
cient speed and power for all practical purposes. 

The single action reel is a simple winch without gear- 
ing, making one turn of the spool to each revolution of 
the handle. The click consists of a toothed wheel 
(rachet) working against a wedge-shaped piece of 
metal (pawl) supported by a spring to permit move- 
ment in either direction, the idea being to retard the 
action of the reel enough to prevent over-running. 
The contact of the pawl against the revolving rachet 
produces a rapid clicking sound known as " the song 
of the reel," very pleasing to the ears of all true 
anglers and of great inspirational value to the poeti- 
cally inclined. The click mechanism is generally 
placed in the rear end of the reel and is either per- 
manent or actuated by a sliding button on the tail 
plate. 

Form and Materials 

Click reels vary as to form and dimensions but the 
majority of modern fly fishermen prefer the contracted 
type, made very narrow to avoid the necessity of guid- 
ing the line on the spool ; with plates of large diameter 
and a large drum or spindle to prevent kinking the 
line and to speed up retrieving. 



52 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

The working parts of a reel should be of the best 
material — finely tempered steel and bronze as softer 
metals soon wear. The materials most often used in 
making the frames and spools of click reels are alu- 
minum, aluminum alloy, gun metal, German silver, 
nickel plated brass or one of these metals in combina- 
tion with hard rubber or *' ebonite." 

Finish 

The English make fine reels of the large narrow 
style, noted the world over for their honest work- 
manship and fine finish, many of them being made of 
aluminum alloy, finished either all black or with just 
enough bright metal to furnish a pleasing contrast. 
Although I do not take much stock in the theory that 
bright metal scares a fish I prefer those with the dark 
finish — a preference shared by many of our most ex- 
pert fly fishers. 

Weight 

It is regrettable that many of the English reels are 
too light in weight to balance American-made bass and 
heavy trout rods, it being axiomatic that to secure 
proper balance the combined weight of reel and line 
should be at least 1% times the weight of the rod. 
American reels, especially the newer models, also tend 
toward excessive lightness. 

I discussed this question once with a reel maker 
who said : " I agree with you that most fly fishing 
reels are too light in weight but somehow the angling 



TACKLE 



53 



public has the idea that lightness is a virtue and com- 
petition forces us to make what the angler wants; not 
what he ought to have." Some anglers, who have 
learned the value of weight below the hand, add heft 
to their reels by winding on lead wire before putting 
the line on the reel. 



English Reels 

Many English reels of the contracted type are pro- 
vided with large rings of agate 
for line guides; regulated 
clicks; detachable spools and 
other refinements. Besides be- 
ing well made, English reels 
are often designed to take 
apart easily for quick and fre- 
quent cleaning which is a 
worth-while feature. 

With 35% duty added to 
their price these English reels 
cost in this country more than 
the general run of fly fisher- 
men care to pay, although an 
increasing number of Ameri- 
can anglers are buying them, 
especially those models of the 
revolving head plate type which combine neatness, 
simplicity and strength. 

A narrow reel of average proportions should be at 
least 3 inches in diameter to hold twenty-five yards of 




Large, Narrow Reel 
(British) 



54 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

level or thirty yards of tapered E line or 3% to 3% 
inches for equal lengths of size D. A large reel is ad- 
visable as it enables one to splice his fly line to fifty 
yards or so of linen line for extra heavy fishing. 

Good English reels retail in America at from six 
dollars to forty dollars. 

American Reels 

The average American click reel is smaller in di- 
ameter and has a wider spool than the contracted type 
although large, narrow reels have been made in this 
country for many years. The old type of American 
reel is heavier, as a rule, than those of British make, 
/m_ ff . which is desirable to balance 

/^Mp!i!^ ^^ the light-in-the-butt American 

11 JMltll ^Kl^mii^ made of metal and hard rub- 
^bS^'^vK^^Bu her; sometimes entirely of 

xl^^^^^^^ Click reels made in this 

^^^^^^"^^^ country have a rated capacity 

based on undressed line which 

M^aY^ReePfAmerican? ^^^^^ confuses^ the inexperi- 
Raised Pillar Type. enced. What is known to the 

trade as the 80 yard size will hold 25 or 30 yards of E 
line and the 100 and 150 yard sizes are about right for 
40 yards of E or 30 yards of D line. Reels with 
raised pillars hold more line than those of equal size and 
of ordinary construction. 

American click reels of nickel and rubber, of a 



TACKLE 55 

size suitable for bass fishing, retail at from two to four 
dollars ; in German silver, at from five to eight dollars. 

Handles 

I can see no virtue in the balanced handle on a click 
reel, even when it runs under a protecting band, which 
should always be provided for this type of handle. 
The plain, crank handle is less objectionable but better 
still is the small, unobtrusive knob used on the revolv- 
ing head plate type of reel. 

Automatic Reels 

The automatic reel consists of a spool operated by a 
spring which is wound up both by a revolving drum or 
key and by stripping line from the reel. The retriev- 
ing of the line is controlled by a lever, which releases 
the tension of the spring, operated by the little finger 
of the casting hand. 

I once heard an angler, who should have known 
better, heap abuse on the automatic reel on the ridicu- 
lous assumption that the user of a reel of this type 
hooks his fish, touches the lever and hauls the strug- 
gling victim to the net, willy-nilly! 

The object of the automatic feature is to take care 
of slack line expeditiously, which it does. I do not 
fancy this kind of a reel myself but I know very expert 
fly fishermen that do. Not the least of its merits is 
the fact that it is of ample weight ; also well-made and 
not expensive, costing on an average, five dollars. 

The size usually made for trouting will not hold 



56 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

enough line for all-around use but some makers turn 
out a special size for bass fishing. 

Automatic reels are more mechanical and compli- 
cated than click reels, hence more liable to accidents 
and the user should have a spare reel of some kind to 
act as a substitute in case of emergency — which, for 




'ROLLERS 
Automatic Reel 

that matter, is good advice regardless of the kind of 
reel one uses. 

The Multiplying Reel 

The multiplying reel is geared so that one turn of 
the handle will produce two turns of the spool in the 
double multiplier, four in the quadruple, etc. This is 
a decided advantage in casting from the reel, work re- 
quiring sustained action and free running, but it is of 
no particular value in fishing with flies. However, 
the average multiplying reel is provided with a click 
so that it can be used for fly fishing and a few fly 
fishers prefer it for the purpose, not agreeing with old 
Christopher North who pronounced the multiplying 



TACKLE 57 

reel '* the invention of a fool." The principal objec- 
tions to the multiplier, from the viewpoint of the ordi- 
nary angler, are the liability of the line catching on the 
prominent, balanced handle and its low, wide con- 
struction requiring the line to be guided on the spool 
to prevent it piling up and jamming against the pillars. 
From my own experience in fly fishing with a multi- 
plier I would not recommend a beginner to buy one for 
the purpose, especially as he can secure a suitable click 
reel for a few dollars, but the bait caster who already 
owns one would be justified in using it for once-in-a- 
while fly fishing, if he is economically inclined. 

American multiplying reels are the standard of ex- 
cellence wherever fine tackle is used. They range in 
price from sixty cents to sixty dollars. 

Care of the Reel 

Whatever kind of reel the fly fisher uses he should 
take care of it, keeping it oiled and free from sand 
and dirt. To clean properly the reel should be taken 
apart carefully, all gummed oil and dirt removed with 
benzine, alcohol or kerosene (safer) and all openings 
cleaned with an oiled rag on a hardwood stick. When 
this is done re-oil all moving parts and carefully re- 
assemble the reel. Those made of aluminum alloy 
should also be wiped on the outside with an oily rag 
to prevent tarnishing and this treatment will not hurt 
any reel. A scheme I use is to slightly oil the inside 
of a chamois reel bag (price fifty cents) and keep the 
reel in that which, in turn, goes into a regular leather 



58 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

reel box which costs about a dollar. Thus stored a 
reel is always in good order and less likely to be broken 
when traveling. 

THE LINE 

Evolution 

Early fly fishermen used lines of twisted and braided 
horse hair and Dame Berners gives explicit directions 
for selecting, coloring and making a line of this ma- 
terial. Later silk was mixed with hair to reduce its 
roughness. Finally, when manufacturers learned to 
braid silk by machinery, hair was eliminated entirely as 
a line material. I have one of these old braided hair 
lines, and although of too large diameter to render 
through the guides of a modern rod, I tried it once 
and satisfied myself that one can cast with it — I pre- 
fer the modern lines. 

Oiled Lines 

Early braided silk lines were filled with linseed, or 
some other oil, to give them weight and to make them 
waterproof. Some anglers still use the oiled lines 
but mainly for economy as they are inferior to the 
enameled. 

Hard Enameled Lines 

I believe the process of enameling a line is of Ameri- 
can origin ; anyway American hard enameled lines were 
for many years the world's standard of excellence. 



TACKLE 59 

They are usually made of a good grade of Italian 
or Japanese silk, hard braided, and finished by a proc- 
ess that is more or less of a trade secret. It may be 
said generally that the best American hard enameled 
lines combine good weight, beautiful finish, flexibility, 
with just enough stiffness to cast well, and extraor- 
dinary wearing qualities. These lines range In price 
from three to ten cents a yard, depending on quality 
and taper, and are usually sold on cards holding 
twenty-five or thirty yards. They come In a variety of 
colors, a popular one being the so-called " mist " or 
" water " tint, — a sort of green-gray. 

Buying Hint 

The fault most likely to develop In a hard enameled 
line is that the finish will chip or " knuckle." There- 
fore In buying a line of this kind examine its finish care- 
fully, rejecting those that show rough spots, " bubbles " 
or other indications of Imperfect finish. Take an Inch 
or two and double it with a hard pinch. If the enamel 
is weak it will crack and produce a white powder or 
a light spot. 

Soft Enamel Lines 

With the Increased popularity of dry fly fishing in 
England British makers produced a line of softer finish 
and more flexibility than the hard enameled which is 
known generally as the vacuum dressed line. 

Vacuum dressed lines are braided solid and the water- 
proofing material is applied In a vacuum chamber from 



6o PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

which the air is exhausted by a powerful rotary pump. 
This enables the dressing to saturate thoroughly every 
fibre of the silk so that it becomes a part of the line 
itself and not merely a coating on the surface. After 
being treated in this manner several times the lines are 
cured and then carefully polished by hand so that they 
have a full roundness with a finish that will not chip 
or become sticky. These lines are very heavy, soft and 
flexible with little tendency to kink and are the last 
word in elegant fly fishing lines. They may be had 
either level or single or double tapered. The usual 
color is brown. 

Current catalog prices of English vacuum dressed 
lines range from ten to twenty cents a yard; the 
American made, about fifteen cents a yard. Prices 
vary with the different sizes and tapered lines cost 
more than the level. 

Tapered and Level Lines 

The tapered line, as its title suggests, has a middle 
of given size and gradually thins toward one end in 
the single taper and both ends in the double tapered, 
this being accomplished by leaving out a certain num- 
ber of threads in the braiding process. Tapers vary; 
one American manufacturer is making his standard 
lines with 8 foot tapers and his tournament lines, very 
popular with some anglers, with very long front taper 
and with the middle or '' belly " and the back taper 
made short. 

Whether one should use a tapered or level line de- 



TACKLE 6i 

pends on his style of fishing. If he uses his bass tackle 
for trout fishing (which I guess most of us do) and 
he casts a floating fly for the spotted princes of our 
colder waters, he should, by all means, use a tapered 
line. If he uses only a wet or sunken fly or fishes 
for bass exclusively, a level line is recommended. 

A compromise is the single tapered line enabling the 
angler to use the tapered end for dry fly fishing and the 
level end for wet flies, for casting in a high wind or for 
bass. 

Naturally a tapered line eventually ends up level 
from the weakened part being snipped off from time 
to time. 

Sizes 

The custom among angling writers to recommend 
a certain size of line for certain kinds of fishing with- 
out any consideration of the weight and action of the 
rod, is to be condemned because the line should match 
the rod to secure the most satisfactory results. 

I know of cases where young anglers have followed 
such recommendations and secured an unsuitable line 
and gave fly fishing up in disgust, claiming it " too 
much like work." Investigation showed that they had 
lines too heavy or too light for their rods and such cir- 
cumstances require much effort to make a good cast. 

Taking a well-known and excellent American-made 
vacuum dressed line as a standard the proper sizes of 
lines would be approximately as follows : For Ameri- 
can rods weighing less than 4% ounces, size F, tapered 



62 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

or level; for American rods weighing 4% to 5^ 
ounces, size E, tapered or level; for American rods 
weighing 5V2 to 6 ounces, size D tapered, size E level; 
for American rods weighing 6 ounces or more, size C, 
tapered or level. 

Much, of course, depends on the action of the rod. 
A stiif rod requires a heavier line than a limber one and 
a British rod having considerable weight in the butt 
can handle a smaller line than an American rod of the 
same ounces. 

English makers use numbers to designate the sizes 
of their lines. One well-known make corresponds with 
American sizes as follows: 



English size 5 ; 
" 4; 
" 3; 


American size B. 

" C. 

" " D. 


u 3 


(I (( -p 



Strength 

The enameled line is made very heavy compared with 
the soft light line used in bait casting. Bait casters 
judge their lines by their test in pounds and it is for 
the benefit of the bait caster taking up fly fishing that 
I bring up this subject. No ordinary fly rod can lift 
three pounds and experiments show that a fish pulls ap- 
proximately its own weight — and a standard Size E 
fly line tests around 25 pounds! It is a good plan to 
snip off an inch or so of line from time to time. Fail- 
ure to do so has often resulted in a lost fish. 



TACKLE 63 

Care of the Line 

Whether one uses a hard or soft enameled, level or 
tapered line it should be given proper care as a well- 
treated line improves with use and a good one should 
last several seasons of hard fishing. 

The best and simplest treatment for a hard enameled 
line is an occasional rubbing with the line dressing the 
line manufacturers make for the purpose. 

Vacuum lines should be frequently dressed with deer 
fat or mutton tallow. This is sold in flat tin boxes and 
the best way to apply it is to run the line through it, 
taking care that the line does not rub against the 
sharp edge of the box. Then rub it down thoroughly 
with a pigskin line greaser or an old leather glove. 
This treatment is used primarily to make the line float 
for dry fly fishing but it also serves to keep the line 
supple and in good condition. After being long in use 
a vacuum dressed line can be returned to the factory 
for re-enameling at a nominal charge, which is one of 
the advantages of having an American-made line. 

Tournament casters add to the fat treatment a coat- 
ing of powdered graphite which they polish until it 
shines like the proverbial '' nigger's heel." This en- 
ables the caster to make long '' shoots " but is " mussy " 
and makes the line unduly conspicuous in the water and 
is of no value in fishing. 

Sand is bad for an enameled line. The line should 
be dried after being used and all sand removed. A line 
should not be kept on the reel any longer than neces- 



64 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

sary. After a day's fishing I strip all line from the 
reel and leave reel and line on a chair and rewind it on 
just before leaving for the stream. 

Between trips and during the winter the line should 
be removed from the reel and either coiled in a large, 
loose hank and thrown in a drawer or stored on a 
large line dryer or grooved hoop made for storing a 
line. Treated thus, one's line will be free from kinks 
when he keeps his tryst with the fishes the following 
spring. 

LEADERS 

Purpose and Evolution 

The leader is the delicate connecting line between 
the necessarily coarse line used in fly fishing and the 
dainty, feathered creations we use as lures. Its prin- 
cipal use is to decrease the visibility of the line and to 
avoid weight at the end of the cast. 

Early anglers used leaders of horse hair and the first 
fly fishers of Kentucky used fine sewing silk. 

Silk Worm Gut 

Silk worm gut was first used for leaders in the middle 
of the 1 8th century. This material is not the intestine 
of the silk worm but the contents of the cocoon spin- 
ning sacs which lie folded on either side of the worm's 
alimentary tract. As soon as the worm is ready to spin 
Its cocoon the tip of this spinning material appears at 
the worm's *' mouth." At this stage the worm is taken 



TACKLE 65 

and immersed In vinegar, which ends the career of the 
worm and commences that of the leader. The spin- 
ning material is then stripped from the worm and it 
hardens immediately on coming in contact with the 
air. Our leader material comes from Spain via Eng- 
land. 

Store Leaders 

Those who have neither the time nor inclination to 
tie their own leaders can buy them ready tied at the 
tackle stores. The two yard lengths of light, medium 
and heavy trout, light bass and heavy bass are most 
often used, depending on the average size of the fish 
in the waters one frequents. 

Size of Gut 

Considerable saving can be made by tying leaders 
and it affords both a pleasant and profitable method 
to while away a winter evening or two. 

Gut for leader tying is sold in hanks containing on 
an average twenty-five strands running from ten to 
fourteen inches in length. These hanks consist of 
either the Spanish assortment, containing good, bad and 
indifferent strands, or are made up in packages of 
selected strands by the dealer and sold at a higher 
price. 

Systems of grading differ, but a sensible way is as 
follows : 

Refina, extra light trout. 
Fina, light trout. 



66 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

Regular, trout size. 

Padron, black bass size. 

Marana, heavy bass. 

Double thick marana, salmon size. 
Of these the bass fisherman will use mostly Regular, 
Padron and Marana, while the trout fisher will use 
these sizes and then down to the finest drawn gut. 

A prominent English tackle house catalogs gut, and 
gives its diameter in thousands of inches, as follows : 

Regular (13-14) ; Padron 2nd (14^16) ; 

Padron ist (15-16I/2); Marana 2nd (I6l^- 

171/2); 
Marana ist (18-19). 

Buying Hint 

If one buys the selected assortments of gut mentioned 
above he will be more certain of getting good material. 
Generally, good gut is smooth and perfectly round and 
strands with flat places should be rejected. By run- 
ning the gut through the fingers slowly one can usually 
detect these bad spots or they can be seen by holding 
the strand so that the light shines along its length. 

Color 

Many anglers draw fine distinctions between colors 
of leaders although some prefer it just as it comes from 
the tackle store. There are a great many ways to 
dye gut, the simplest, and I believe the best, being 
those given many years ago by Salter: "To stain 
hair or gut a pale sorrel color let it remain a few 



TACKLE 67 

minutes in a cup of strong coffee or black tea. To 
give it a pale slate color, mix water and black ink in 
equal parts and put the hair or gut in it for a moment 
only. For a grayish water color (mist) dissolve a 
little alum and indigo in boiling water, let it stand 
until it is cold and dip the hair or gut in it until it has 
acquired the tint you wish." 

These worth-while directions might be added to in 
order to secure a greenish tint for fishing in the weeds. 
This can be done by using green writing fluid instead 
of the black, recommended above for obtaining the 
slate color. I do not believe in putting gut in hot 
solutions. 

Tying Leaders 

Before one attempts to tie gut into leaders the strands 
should be soaked in luke-warm water to make it flexible. 

There are several knots to tie the short strands to- 
gether; the best, in my opinion, being the single and 
double water knots as they are known in this country 
or the fishermen's knots as they are called abroad. 

The single knot (figure i) is made by laying the 



Figure i 

ends of two strands along side of one another and tying 
a simple knot around each with the free end of the 
other. When pulled tight these knots jam against 
each other making what appears to be one knot. The 



68 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

strands should be shaken slightly as the knots come to- 
gether. Finish by snipping off the over-hanging sur- 
plus. 

The double knot (figure 2) is made similarly ex- 
cept that a double knot is tied before tightening. Of 
the two I prefer the single knot because it is smaller 




Figure 2 

although not quite as secure unless very carefully tied. 
Some anglers weave a tiny length of gut between the 
strands to act as a cushion before drawing taut but 
this I believe to be unnecessary. If one wishes he can 
insert the knotted end of a loop or strand between the 
knots for dropper fly before pulling them together. 

In using either knot it takes from six to eight 
strands, depending on their length, to produce a leader 
approximately six feet long which is the most favored 
size for general fishing. 

The best knot I know^ for making a loop at the 
ends of the leader is shown in figures 3, 4 and 5, 
labeled Favorite Loop. A double loop is loosely made 
on the end of the leader. The free end is placed be- 
tween the loops, the upper loop is pulled through the 
lower and both pulled taut. This knot holds well, 
lies flat and will not cut. 

If the angler uses snelled flies and fishes with more 
than one fly the best leader is made by looping together 



TACKLE 69 

two three footers with loops at both ends. The 
snelled dropper fly can then be attached by simply in- 
serting its end between the two loops. If more than 
one dropper fly is desired or if a strand to attach an 
eyed fly is wanted it can be tied to the leader as shown 
in figures 6 and 7. 




Figure 3 




Figure 4 



es 



Figure 5 

One can learn these knots in a few moments by 
practicing with heavy jute cord such as is used 
by hardware dealers and others selling heavy mer- 
chandise. 

I use only one fly and my favorite leader for bass 
is tapered, the upper two-thirds being of bass size, the 
lower third of heavy trout strength, the whole being 
slightly over 5 feet in length. My trout leaders vary 



70 



PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 



in weight, according to conditions. Six feet is my 
wet fly length and 7I/2 or 9 f^^t for dry fly fishing. 



Testing 

After the leaders are made they should be stretched, 
permitted to dry and then be carefully labeled and put 




Figure 6 

away. Some writers recommend testing each leader by 
making it pull three or four pounds against a spring 




Figure 7 

scale. A two pound pull is enough and the angler 
will soon learn to test his leaders with his hands with- 
out putting undue strain on them. At any rate beware 
of permitting some Herculean guide testing them with 
his hands — it cost us four dollars' worth of good 
leaders once! 



TACKLE 71 



Leader Boxes 

Leaders for immediate use should be soaked the night 
before and carried in a regular leader box which is 
provided with pads of felt to hold moisture. Spare 
leaders and gut strands can be carried in the tackle 
book. I know a good angler who carries his leaders in 
a home-made leader box improvised from a tobacco can. 
I suspect that he does it to impress his wife with the 
fact that he is an economical man, since he can get an 
aluminum leader box for about twenty cents; ones 
finely finished in oxidized copper cost up to $1.50. I 
do not recommend the combination leader and fly 
boxes. 

Care of Leaders 

Anglers were of the opinion once that gut should be 
kept immersed in alcohol but nowadays it is stored by 
wrapping it in chamois or dark heavy paper and keep- 
ing it away from the light. 

Substitute Gut 

Silk worm gut has a number of faults and a real 
substitute is much desired. One substitute is made of 
Japanese fiber or twisted silk treated with oil or shellac 
which in use soon becomes flimsy and worthless. An- 
other is said to be a sort of " conglomerate gut " pro- 
duced by drawing the gut from a great many worms at 
the same time. Its chief merit is that it is made with- 
out knots, except loops at the ends, and its " flat " 



72 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

finish makes it practically invisible in the water. It is 
very durable but must be soaked before being used the 
same as ordinary gut. 

MISCELLANEOUS TACKLE 

An important part of the angler's outfit, and one 
that he likes to use with reasonable frequency, is the 
landing net. 

For wading, a short handled net is preferred by most 
anglers although where the streams are swift and rocky 
the long British net handle with a spike in the end is 
a big help. The short handled net may be either one 
whose handle folds, which is carried by a button or is 
tucked in the top of the waders, or one with an elastic 
cord that goes over the shoulder. 

For boat fishing the long handled net used by the 
bait caster is satisfactory. For permanent camps it 
can have a one-piece handle and a solid frame but for 
ease of carrying the folding frames with jointed handle 
are most convenient. Cheap nets are made of cotton, 
the better grades being of braided linen fish line and 
are more durable. 

Creels, Stringers and Bags 

The creel for large trout and bass fishing should be 
as large as possible. Creel straps should be the patent 
kind that go over the left shoulder with a belt to hold 
the creel close to the body. This leaves the right 
shoulder unencumbered for casting. 

Many anglers prefer to string their bass, on account 



TACKLE 73 

of their weight, and tie the string to a belt loop and 
make the fish transport themselves. When fishing 
from a boat a stringer, or better still, a fish bag is to 
be preferred since it keeps the fish alive. Fish that are 
not kept in a bag should be killed at once — humane 
and keeps the catch in better condition. 

Tackle Box and Tackle Book 

The angler who fishes entirely from a boat may use 
a tackle box such as his fancy dictates but for wading, 
space and weight make a tackle book desirable. This 
is made long and narrow with many gusseted pockets. 
In it one carries spare leaders or gut, hooks, scales, 
scissors (handy for snipping gut) tape or ruler, sinkers, 
split shot, swivels, oil can, connecting links, camera 
films, stringer, repair kit, fly or mosquito dope, line re- 
leaser, pliers, and all the other little knick-knacks that 
anglers use or think they use. 

Accessories for dry fly fishing are mentioned in the 
chapter on that subject. 



FLIES 

Something About Fraudulent Feathers 

Evolution 

THE early history of trout flies has been touched 
upon in another chapter. Possibly the first fly 
used for bass fishing was the " bob " mentioned 
in a previous chapter — if you call that a fly. The 
flies used by the early Kentucky bass fishermen were 
either large trout flies or bass flies of their own tying. 
It is a curious fact that of all the favorite bass flies now 
in use, none of them trace their lineage back to these 
first bass fly fishers — especially remarkable as they 
were men of unusual mechanical and artistic abilities 
and most expert and studious anglers. It is equally 
true that none of the bass flies recommended by the 
early American angling writers are now in favor. 
We have already described Dr. Bethune's pattern, and 
Frank Forrester in his " Fish and Fishing " gives the 
formulae for several patterns none of which are now 
used. Many of our most successful bass patterns are 
merely trout flies somewhat enlarged. 

Hooks 

The principal part of any fly is the hook. I do not 
intend to go into a lengthy discussion on angles of draft 

74 



FLIES 75 

or other technicalities of fish hooks as good flies nowa- 
days are alwaj^s tied on suitable hooks and fly fishers 
should use nothing but good flies as their quarry is a 
hard fighter and his mouth is exceedingly tough, re- 
quiring a sharp point to hook him and an honestly made 
hook to hold him. My preference is for the round 
bend hooks like the O'Shaughnessey or Sproat in the 
larger sizes and the Model Perfect, Limerick or Sproat 
in the smaller ones although if the hook is of good 
quality I will not reject a well-tied fly if on a hook 
with a side bend like the Sneck — and I don't believe 
a fish would either. 

Sizes 

Bass flies vary somewhat as to size regardless of the 
size hook used, some being tied bulkier than others. 
However, a good bass fly should be neatly proportioned 
and should correspond, to some extent at least, to the 
hook on which it is tied. 

For small, clear streams where the bass average 
small or moderate in weight, the choice of the average 
bass fisher would be a number 6 or even as small as a 
number 8. When the same stream is roiled a number 
4 or number 2 would be required to get the fish's at^ 
tention. For average bass streams numbers 4 and 2 
are most often used while numbers i, i-o and up to 
3-0 are appropriate for clouded waters, wind sw^pt 
lakes and streams and for the big bass of our southern 
states. These sizes (all based on Redditch scale) 
are only general and many anglers prefer larger or 



76 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

smaller hooks. The tendency among bass fishermen, 
however, is toward smaller and better hooks. 

There is a wonderful variety in the sizes of trout 
flies. For wet fly fishing sizes 4 and 6 are considered 
large; 8 and 10 medium; 12 and 14 small and *' tinies," 
or very small, run all the way to 22 which are no larger 
than an anaemic mosquito. Local conditions should 
govern the selection of sizes of flies. In some waters 
the trout show a marked preference for certain sizes 
and many expert anglers claim that a variety of sizes 
is more important than a multitude of patterns. My 
own experience inclines me toward the same belief and 
in late years I have carried with me more size 6 than 
ever as I have found that the trout favor a large fly 
more often than the general run of anglers seem to 
believe. Unless local anglers advise otherwise the 
novice would not be far out of the right track if he 
would proportion his sizes on the following basis, tak- 
ing a dozen flies as a standard : size 6, 2 ; size 8, 4 ; 
size 10, 4; size 12, i; size 14 or 16, i. Smaller flies 
are used for dry fly fishing, number 12 being the 
standard in most American w^aters. 

A time-honored rule in bass or trout fishing is to use 
small or dark colored flies in very clear water and 
during bright weather and the larger ones and the 
gaudiest colored on dark days, at night or when the 
water is discolored. This is a safe rule to follow, 
generally, except that certain sky conditions make a 
dark colored fly more prominent than a light one when 
fishing at night. 



FLIES 77 



Style 



Good winged bass flies are tied with the wings " re- 
versed." That is, the wing is first tied under the body 
and then reversed and tied over the body making them 
much more durable. 

Wings are usually placed where wings ought to 
be, but for fishing in weedy places bass fishermen 
often have the wings ** inverted " — tied on the 
under side to cover the hook point and act as a weed 
guard. Another method much used on the Illinois 
River, is to tie a few horse hairs on the hook shank, 
immediately under the eye, of sufficient length to ex- 
tend over the hook point. Either method, I believe, 
is superior to a wire weed guard. 

Hackle flies, which are almost as good for bass as 
for trout, are tied without wings and the hackles (hair- 
like " legs ") are on the upper part of the body only. 
Palmer flies are similar but have the hackles the entire 
length of the body and are often finished off with a 
short red tail, which I believe adds to their attrac- 
tiveness. 

Trout flies tied on long shank hooks are often very 
effective when there is a hatch on but the hooks must 
be of good quality. 

Snelled, Looped and Eyed Flies 

I do not like snelled flies and intend to never use 
another one. My experience is that the snells give out 
before the fly, leaving an otherwise good, but useless. 



78 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

fly on your hands. Besides, they occupy too much 
space and are bothersome. The eyed fly was revived 
when dry fly fishing became popular abroad and most 
fly fishers now use flies tied only on eyed or looped 
hooks, which they fasten directly to the leader. A 
large number of them can be carried in a comparatively 
small space and they can be used with a modern spin- 
ner — often desirable in bass fishing. 

Some large bass flies and most salmon flies (the 
smaller sizes of which are excellent for bass) are tied 
on hooks with a twisted gut loop instead of an eye and 
they possess the advantages of eyed flies except pos- 
sibly they are not quite as durable. 

If the angler has flies tied on hooks with turned 
down eyes he may find that they do not " ride " well 
with a spinner. If such is the case he can straighten 
the eye by heating it over a flame, straightening care- 
fully with pliers, dipping in oil and permitting to cool 
rapidly on a window sill with the window slightly 
raised. This may not be a scientific way but it works. 

How Many Flies? 

Some fly fishers use as many as three flies and 
not a few prefer two. Most of the time I use only 
one fly but do not question the sportsmanship of those 
who do not agree with me. In fact, my preference is 
based on efficiency. In other words, I believe that a 
single fly, properly and carefully fished, will produce 
more rises and catch more fish, and certainly is easier 
and simpler to handle, than a cast made up of two or 



FLIES 79 

more flies. Sometimes it is a good plan to start with 
two or three flies to see what they are taking. 

Best Patterns for Bass 

A variety of flies is the spice of fly fishing and few^ 
of us care to limit ourselves to four patterns (Lake 
George, Grizzly King, Seth Green and Coachman) as 
did Seth Green. 

About three years ago I sent a questionaire to some 
of the most expert bass fly fishers in the Middle West 
asking for the names of their twelve favorite patterns 
(exclusive of floating flies) for bass fishing. These 
were published in my column, Woods and Waters, in 
the Chicago Tribune, but I believe they are worth re- 
printing, representing as they do, the opinions of some 
of our most successful anglers. 

Willard A. Schaeffer, of Rock Island, 111., limits 
his favorites to six patterns as follows : Phil Mitchell, 
Onondaga, Reade, Lake George, Lord Baltimore, 
Royal Coachman. 

Fred O'Reilly of Wabasha, Minn., is an *' old 
timer " on the upper Mississippi River and being the 
local tackle man, he has opportunity to study the re- 
sults produced by the different patterns. His favorites 
are: Jake George, Royal Coachman, Grizzly King, 
Professor, Lord Baltimore, White Miller, Yellow 
Coachman, March Brown, Silver Doctor, Parma- 
chenee Belle, Onondaga. 

H. A. Newkirk, Chicago, does not believe that 12 
patterns are necessary. He offers the following as 



So PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

being ample: Westwood Bug, Oliver, Knight, Col- 
onel Fuller, Emmett. 

Fred Peet, Chicago, believes in the following: 
Queen of Waters, Colonel Fuller, Professor, Bucktail, 
White Miller, Brown Hackle, Grey Hackle, Yellow 
May, Montreal, Seth Green, Rube Wood, Ferguson. 

Call J. McCarthy, famous tournament caster, who 
posed for the casting pictures in this work, selects 
these twelve: Grey Palmer, Brown Palmer, Profes- 
sor, Refmac, Black Palmer, Cahill, Coachman, Red 
Ibis, Parmachenee Belle, Grizzly King, Green Drake, 
Jungle Cock. 

Will H. Dilg, writer of fishing stories of the upper 
Mississippi River, prefers: Colonel Fuller, Oliver, 
Yellow May, Reade, Royal Coachman, Knight, White 
Miller, Parmachenee Belle, Scarlet Ibis, Raven, Jock 
Scott, Durham Ranger. 

Wm. J. Jamison, Chicago, selects the following: 
McGinty, Royal Coachman, Brown Hackle, Professor, 
Silver Doctor, Reuben Wood, Stone, March Brown, 
Lord Baltimore, Yellow May, White Miller, Coaxer. 

Hon. Carter H. Harrison, former mayor of Chicago, 
is "satisfied to cast the following in the order named: 
Silver Doctor, A. S. Trude, White Miller, Yellow 
Sally, Parmachenee Belle, Lord Baltimore, Seth Green, 
Grizzly King, Professor, Jock Scott, Scarlet Ibis, 
Black Gnat." 

My own favorites are: Brown Palmer — red tail, 
Jungle Cock, Silver Doctor, Grey Hackle, Yellow 
May, Colonel Fuller, Montreal, White Miller — red 



FLIES 8 1 

tail, Parmachenee Belle, Lord Baltimore, McGinty, 
Westwood Bug. 

Recapitulation 

When we recapitulate we find that the above pat- 
terns rank, in point of times mentioned, as follows: 
White Miller, Parmachenee Belle, 7; Colonel Fuller, 
Professor, 6; Lord Baltimore, 5; Yellow May, Reade, 
Royal Coachman, Silver Doctor, Brown Palmer, 4; 
Grey Palmer, Montreal, Grizzly King, Bucktail, 
Brown Hackle, Oliver, Scarlet Ibis, 3 ; Raven, Jock 
Scott, McGinty, Reuben Wood, Seth Green, Black 
Gnat, Bug, Coachman, Jungle Cock, Phil Mitchell, 
Onondaga, Lake George, March Brown, 2. 

Mississippi Patterns 

Flies mentioned particularly for the Upper Missis- 
sippi River, probably the best piece of fly fishing bass 
water in the world, rank as follows: Reade, Parma- 
chenee Belle, 4; Colonel Fuller, Oliver, Royal Coach- 
man, White Miller, 3 ; Bug, Professor, Knight, Scar- 
let Ibis, Raven, Jock Scott, Silver Doctor, Lord Balti- 
more, Lake George, Onondaga, Grizzly King, 2. 

White Miller 

The j^oung angler might conclude from the above 
that the White Miller is a " killing " bass fly for gen- 
eral fishing. Those who included it in their lists did 
so because it is a special fly — for night fishing and for 
very roily water. 



82 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 



Floating Bug and Its History 

The idea of a cork-bodied fly is very old. Gervaise 
Markham in " The Art of Angling," 1614, gives di- 
rections for tying a trout fly " fixed upon a fine piece 
of cork." 

The first floating fly made commercially for bass 
fishing probably was the " Coaxer " fly, a loaf-shaped 
piece of cork with wings of red felt and a single hook 
concealed by a feather. 

I have been unable to learn definitely when the pres- 
ent form of cork-bodied bass fly, or " bug," first came 
into use. In 19 11 Mr. B. F. Wilder, of New York, 
found Mr. Louis B. Adams using such flies of his own 
tying on the Belgrade lakes, in Maine. Mr. Wilder 
passed the idea along to a number of mid-west anglers, 
notably Will H. Dilg and Fred Peet of Chicago. 
These ardent brothers of the angle tried them, in 19 16, 
on the small mouthed bass of the Upper Mississippi 
River with wonderful success. Mr. Dilg — Will o' 
the Houseboat — wrote several articles on this fishing 
which appeared in Field and Stream and the bass bugs 
instantly became immensely popular throughout the 
United States and Canada. 

Realizing the danger and confusion of a multitude 
of patterns I suggested that a few patterns should be 
standardized, and as a result a meeting was called by 
some Chicago fishermen and professional fly tyers and 
the following patterns were named and described as 
being adequate for all conditions of weather and water: 



FLIES 83 

Name Body Stripes 

Peet's Favorite White Brown 

Dilg's Gem Orange Brown . . . Black 

Clarke's Fancy White None 

Wilder's Discovery ..Yellow Red 

St. John's Pal Red Black 

Hadley's Choice Yellow Black 

Chadwick's Sunbeam. .Yellow Black 

Alex Friend Gold None 

Bob Davis Yellow None 

Zane Grey Gray Gray 

Carter Harrison Brown Yellow 

Dr. Henshall Brown Red 

Name Tail Wings 

Peet's Favorite White White Turkey 

Dilg's Gem Brown and Gray. . Brown Turkey 

Clarke's Fancy Red White Turkey 

Wilder's Discovery . .None Yellow and Red 

St. John's Pal Yellow Mallard Wing 

Hadley's Choice White Yellow and White 

Chadwick's Sunbeam . . Red Peacock Eyed 

Alex Friend Black Yellow and Red 

Bob Davis Yellow Yellow 

Zane Grey Gray Gray 

Carter Harrison Fox Squirrel Fox Squirrel 

Dr. Henshall Brown White and Red 

These *' bugs " are also made in trout size which 
have been found very effective. They are tied in imi- 
tation of the standard patterns. The regular bass 
sizes have also been used successfully on very large 
trout. 



84 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

Best Patterns for Trout 

" Don't bother with a lot of flies," said Thad. Nor- 
ris, one of America's early fishing writers, " for here 
are four that will serve all purposes: one is the Red 
Spinner; the second a Black Gnat; the third is the 
Coachman ; the fourth and the best of them all is the 
Red Palmer or Red Hackle, as it is indifferently 
called." Pennell, a famous English trouter, confined 
himself to what he called three '* typical " flies; green, 
brown and yellow hackles. Both of these men became 
famous as anglers but neither succeeded in " selling " 
his idea of few flies to the general run of trout fish- 
ermen. 

In her charming " Favorite Flies and Their His- 
tories," Mary Orvis Marbury gives the result of a 
symposium on the best trout flies with the following 
results : 

Number Number 

Pattern of Times Pattern of Times 

Mentioned Mentioned 

Coachman 58 Grizzly King ... 23 

Brown Hackle .. . 44 Royal Coachman. 19 

Professor 38 Queen of Waters. 19 

Montreal 28 Silver Doctor 18 

Black Gnat 25 Cowdung 18 

White Miller 24 Scarlet Ibis 15 

Many years later (19 16) I conducted a similar sym- 
posium among middle western anglers of repute and 
the result was as follows: 



FLIES 



85 





Number 




Number 


Pattern 


OF Times 


Pattern 


OF Times 




Mentioned 




Mentioned 


Coachman 


9 


McGinty 


4 


Professor 


6 


Brown Palmer 


4 


Cahill 


5 


Silver Doctor . 


3 


Queen of Waters 


5 


Hares Ear .... 


3 


Royal Coachman 


5 


Grizzly King . . 


3 


Wickhams Fancy 


5 


Grev Hackle . . 


3 


Stone 


5 


Phil Mitchell . . 


3 


Cowdung 


5 


March Brown . 


2 


Brown Hackle . . 


4 


Montreal 


2 



Still more recent is the symposium conducted by the 
American Angler, more than two hundred prominent 
anglers contributing. Each man was requested to name 
his three favorites and three points was awarded the 
ones chosen first; two points to the second and one to 
the third. The score follows: 



Royal Coachman 93 

Coachman 56 

Parmachenee Belle 54 

Cahill 45 

Professor 43 

Brown Hackle 43 



Black Gnat 31 

Grey Hackle 27 

Montreal 26 

Cowdung 21 

Silver Doctor 20 

Queen of Waters 18 



Favorite dry fly patterns are also a matter of opin- 
ion. Many of the favorite patterns of British dry fly 
men are not of exceptional value for our waters. This 
applies especially to streams stocked only with brook 
and rainbow trout and to our western rivers where the 
brown trout is unknown. 

Emlyn Gill and Samuel Camp have made a con- 



86 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

siderable study of dry fly fishing In American waters 
and their favorite fly patterns are: 

Camp i Gill 2 

Coachman Whirling Dun 

Cahill Wickhams Fancy 

Gold Ribbed Hares Ear Pale Evening Dun 

Wickhams Fancy Jenny Spinner 

Brown Sedge Willow 

Silver Sedge Orange Fish Hawk 

Iron Blue Dun Olive Dun 

Whirling Dun Soldier Palmer 

Olive Dun Silver Sedge 

Green May-female Red Spinner 

Brown May-female White Miller 

Spent Gnat-female Coachman 

Black Gnat 

Spinners 

There are times when it is necessary to fish a h'ttle 
deeper than a fly ordinarily sinks or when a plain fly 
fails to attract the attention of our whimsical quarry. 
When these conditions prevail the glitter of a tiny 
spinner often induces the fish to strike. 

You will occasionally find an angler who objects to 
the spinner on the grounds that it is unsportsmanlike 
but some of the finest sportsmen I know will use a 
spinner when the bass or trout will take nothing else 
and under the circumstances I believe its use is justified. 

I give the fish ample opportunity to take a plain fly ; 
if they register no appreciation of my lofty ethics I 
add a tiny spinner and do it shamelessly. 

1 From " Fishing with Floating Flies." 

2 From " Practical Dry Fly Fishing." 



FLIES 87 

The spinner for fly fishing should be small (sizes 
O, I and never larger than 2) and preferably of the 
kind with a patent snap that permits instant changing 
of flies. Ordinarily the single blade type is as much 
as one can handle easily on a fly rod. 

The dark finishes, copper and black, are for very 
clear waters; the nickel, brass, gold and silver for 
waters that are normal or roiled. 

Other Helps for Desperate Anglers 
An innovation in bass fishing is a small wooden 
imitation minnow light enough to be used on a sturdy 
fly rod. It is equipped with a double hook on the 
belly and is a miniature of the " wobbler " type of 
lure used so successfully by the bait caster. It darts 
back and forth in the water, when being retrieved, in 
imitation of a frightened or crippled minnow. 

Another attraction that miay be added to one's fly 
is the rubber strip sold by the tackle dealers. It is 
white, very thin, light and " wriggly " in the water. 
It is designed to imitate the bait caster's pork strip but 
is much lighter in weight. 

The ethical question of using lures of such nature 
on a fly rod is something for each angler to decide for 
himself. 

Fly Book and Box 

Snelled flies are best carried in the books provided 
with some arrangement to hold the snells straight. 

Eyed flies may be carried in the boxes, made for the 
purpose, with a metal clip to hold each fly. These 



88 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

boxes vary as to size, form and finish — see any tackle 
catalog. 

The angler who uses " bugs," wigglers and other 
bulky lures will have to find some receptacle, other 
than an eyed fly box, to hold them. A new fly book is 
ideal for the purpose. It consists of several leaves of 
a peculiar felt which holds the hook but permits it to 
be withdrawn instantly, without catching. In a book 
of this kind one can carry a number of the bugs and 
several dozens of the ordinary flies. 

Care of Flies 

Fhes wear out from use but this can be postponed 
if they are given a little care. Flies that have been 
recently used should not be put in the box or book 
\^ith other flies. Dry them either on your hat band, 
or by letting them lie in the sun or have a separate 
place for them in the box or book. Keep the hook 
points sharp and free from rust by filing them a little 
if necessary. 

Store your flies where the moths cannot get at them 
if you put your flies away for the winter. If you ar- 
range and rearrange them from time to time, during 
the winter of our discontent, as most of us do, keep 
them in the box or book. Moths know better than 
to attack the flies of an angler who " fusses " with his 
tackle 'tween seasons! 

SOME NEW FLIES 

Most of the favorite flies are well known to anglers 
in general but some of them have been origi- 



FLIES 89 

nated since the publication of Mrs. Marbury's 
" Favorite Flies and their Histories " and other 
standard works. For that reason I deem it advisable 
to give a brief mention of some of these flies which 
include some of the most effective patterns known to 
present-day fishermen. 

A. S. Trude. This fly was originated in igoo by 
Hon. Carter H. Harrison and named for his friend, 
A. S. Trude, an attorney-angler of Chicago. Scarlet 
body with one winding of gold tinsel; brown hackles; 
wings from tail of fox squirrel, showing the dark bar. 

Bucktail Minnows. A series of flies with bodies, 
hackles and wings of bucktail hair. Bodies wound 
with gold or silver tinsel. Tied variously by a num- 
ber of fly tiers. Designed to imitate a live min- 
now. 

Col. Fuller. Originated by 1899 by John Shields, 
Sr., of Brookline, Mass. Named for the late Col. 
Fuller, a noted Boston sportsman, who used it with 
great success on the Belgrade Lakes in Maine. There 
is considerable variation in the tying of this fly. The 
original pattern had a gold tinsel body with a gold rib ; 
peacock herl head ; wing bright yellow ; outer wing or 
shoulder, scarlet; tail black. 

Dazzler. Originated in 19 18 by Bert Crawford, 
St. Joseph, Mo. Striking bass flies of hair and feath- 
ers highly decorated with tinsel. 

Devil Bug. Originated in 19 17 by O. C. Tuttle, 
Old Forge, N. Y. A series of odd-looking trout and 
bass flies of bucktail, made in various sizes and shapes 



90 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

and decorated with colored " eyes " and other mark- 
ings. 

Draff on Fly. I first saw this fly in igi6. It was 
tied by Ben Winchell, a Chicago amateur. It is an 
imitation of the dragon fly or '' darning needle " and 
is said to be especially killing in quarry fishing. Tied 
in various sizes and color combinations. 

Emerson Hough and Wm. Wood Bucktail Trout 
Flies. Originated about 1910 by Emerson Hough and 
his woodsman friend, Wm. Wood. Made entirely of 
bucktail tied very irregularly or untrimmed. 

Emmett. Originated in igoo by Richard S. Em- 
mett on the upper Mississippi River. Shiny black 
body ; black hackle ; turkey wings and tail. 

Fischer. Originated in 19 16 by Charles Stapf of 
Prescott, Wis. Large scarlet body; hackles long and 
scarlet; wings, mallard; tail white. 

Knight. Originated in 1902 by John B. Knight of 
Chicago. White body; white hackles; wings, mallard 
or turkey with a few strands of scarlet; over wing or 
shoulder, white; tail, peacock herl and one strand of 
turkey. 

Luminous Bug. Originated in 1914 by E. H. 
Peckinpaugh, Chattanooga, Tenn. A cork-bodied 
" bug " with luminous head. Tied in patterns to 
correspond with standard wet flies. 

Larry St. John. Originated by Call J. McCarthy, 
Chicago, in 1915. Lavender body with gold rib; gray 
hackles ; mallard wing ; over wing or shoulder, English 
pheasant neck hackle; tail, gray. 



FLIES 91 

'Nature Flies. Originated in 19 16 by Louis Rhead, 
Brooklyn, N. Y. A series of trout flies tied in exact 
imitation of American trout stream insects. 

Oliver. Originated in 1904 by John Milton Oliver 
of Chicago. He was fishing the upper Mississippi 
with a Coachman fly when its peacock herl body be- 
came frayed. Having some bright yellow winding 
silk in his tackle box he fashioned a bulgy body with it 
and had unusual success. Body, bright yellow or 
orange, very bulky; ginger hackles; white wings; tail, 
barred wood duck. 

Palmer Grasshopper. Originated in 191 7 by M. 
Palmer, Pasadena, Calif. A combination wood and 
feather imitation of a grasshopper. 

Palmer Blue Devil. Originated in 191 8 by M. 
Palmer, Pasadena, Calif. Imitation of a small blue 
dragon fly or '' darning needle." 

Prismac Hair Flies. Originated in 191 5 by Call 
J. McCarthy of Chicago. Bodies, hackles and wings 
of dyed bucktail hair in various color combinations. 

Phil Mitchell. Originated in 1907 by Willard A. 
Schaeffer, of Rock Island, 111. He was attempting to 
dye some feathers a certain shade of yellow but the 
result was a peculiar orange. He combined these 
orange feathers with others and the result was the 
Phil Mitchell. Olive green body; orange hackle; 
wings, barred wood duck; tail, red. 

South Bend Bucktail Flies. A series of bucktail 
flies in various colors originated about 19 12 by South 
Bend Bait Co., South Bend, Ind. 



92 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

Squirrel Tail Trout Flies. Originated in 191 7 by 
Fred N. Peet and Charles Antoine, Chicago. Varia- 
tions of the A. S. Trude fly but without hackles. 

Winged Helgramite. Originated in 19 16 by Louis 
Rhead, Brooklyn, N. Y. Exact imitation of big stone 
fly or winged helgramite. Body tinted wood; legs of 
fiber, wing gray. 

Westwood Bug. Originated in 19 12 by I. T. 
Cook, of St. Louis, who had them tied by Miss West- 
wood of Wilmette, 111. Made entirely of natural 
(gray, black and white blended) bucktail hair, tied 
" flat " to imitate a craw fish. Sometimes called the 
" Mississippi Bug " because it was first used on that 
river. 

Wyman. A series of flies tied by Edward Wyman, 
Chicago. One pattern has small bright yellow body 
with scarlet rib ; large hackles of elk hair ; long tail 
of red, white, blue and black. 



APPAREL 

what to wear to be comfortable if not 
fashionable 

Underwear 

PERHAPS a writer is getting " altogether too 
personal," as the saying goes, in discussing the 
kind of underwear an angler should don when 
faring forth for fish. However, I feel duty bound 
to recommend underwear of wool, or of a goodly pro- 
portion of that material, for early or late fishing or 
when wading with or without waders. When wear- 
ing waders in fair weather woolen underwear ab- 
sorbs perspiration and prevents the angler getting 
chilled when he takes them off or if the temperature 
suddenly drops — something that often happens when 
angling. Besides, even when wearing waders, the pos- 
sibility of getting a " ducking " by making a misstep 
into a deep hole or with the fiendish and conspiring 
aid of slippery or rolling stones (which do gather moss 
in streams), is by no means remote. The discomfort 
occasioned by such a catastrophe is greatly lessened if 
the hapless angler is protected by wool. When wad- 
ing without waders woolen underwear prevents chill- 
ing and guards against those " infirmyties," mentioned 
93 



94 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

by Dame Berners, that come from getting cold and 
wet. For the same reasons all-wool sox and stockings 
are advisable. 

Boots and Waders 

The ideal way to wade a stream is to don woolen 
underw^ear, an old pair of trousers and shirt, put your 
smoking material and matches in your hat and go to it. 
Early and late in the season and in streams that are 
spring fed and cold, this is usually too rigorous for 
the average angler. 

Next best is to fish a stream shallow enough to per- 
mit the angler to " pick " his way along in hip boots 
or wading stockings. Such streams, if of stony bot- 
tom, are likely to be dangerously slippery and the ad- 
justable sandals, studded with hob nails, should be 
worn over the boots. These sandals come in two 
sizes, large and small, and are adjustable several sizes 
each way. 

When considerable deep water is to be waded, the 
regular waders, or wading pants, should be worn. 
These garments are sweat boxes in warm weather and 
are hardly comfortable in cold but they offer the only 
protection known when wading streams of fair depth 
and must be looked upon as " necessary evils." 

Heavy Waders 

The heavier waders are made of mackintosh or of 
some other equally stiff and heavy waterproof ma- 



APPAREL 95 

terial. Their chief recommendation is that they wear 
longer than the lightweight. They come with both 
boot and stocking feet. 

Featherweight Waders 

The English have produced a wader of very light 
and thin waterproof material known generally as 
" featherweight " waders. Although they are not as 
durable as the heavy weight style they wear fairly well 
and are more comfortable and easier to *' navigate " 
in. They are made to come well above the waist, 
with a puckering string at the top and often with a 
pocket in front to hold a fly book or leader box. Be- 
ing made only with stocking feet they may be rolled 
in a remarkably small package. 

Shoes 

Stocking feet waders must be worn with shoes of 
some kind as the feet are made light and thin. Regu- 
lar wading shoes are made for the purpose. They are 
of canvas, or canvas and leather, equipped with heavy 
soles studded with blunt nails or hobs to prevent slip- 
ping. The best nails are of soft iron as they " grip " 
better than those of steel. A pair of heavy socks 
should be worn under the shoes to prevent wear on the 
feet of the waders. It is also advisable to wear a pair 
of overalls or light khaki trousers over the waders to 
prevent chafing and tearing while going through the 
brush. 



96 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

For boat or canoe wear I recommend light unwater- 
proofed moccasins with or without soles; tennis slip- 
pers are also good. 

Care of Boots and Waders 

Waders and boots, to be of any use, obviously must 
be kept dry inside. In warm weather one often finds 
himself so damp that he may suspect his waders of 
leaking although usually it is only perspiration. 
Waders thus dampened should be opened and hung 
up so the air can get at them. Waders that are actu- 
ally wet inside demand more thorough treatment. 

I learned how to dry out rubber boots or waders 
under somewhat distressing circumstances. I was 
fishing a sheltered bay on Bass Lake, Ind., during a 
raw, northeast wind one day in the spring. I was 
casting from shore, wading out as far as the height of 
my boots would permit. I had a common grain sack 
tied to my belt to hold the fish which, despite the un- 
propitious circumstances, were striking well. As 
soon as the bag grew decently heavy I decided to go 
ashore and forgetting all about the bag tied to my 
waist, I turned, stepped on it, lost my balance and 
took what the youngsters call '* a header " into the icy 
water. 

By the time I drove four miles in an open motor 
car in the teeth of the cold wind a hot fire and dry 
clothing were welcome, to say the least. My host, 
Frank Hay, the dean of the northern Indiana anglers, 
then showed me how to quickly dry wet boots. First 



APPAREL 97 

he emptied out the water and rubbed the inside of the 
boots with a dry cloth to remove as much of the re- 
maining moisture as possible. Then he took sheets 
of newspaper and placed them on the hot stove until 
they scorched (they turn brown and give forth a 
"burned" odor w^hen sufficiently heated) and 
crammed my boots full of this warm material. In 
a remarkably short time they were dried perfectly. 
Heating oats, bran or sand and using in the same way 
is also recommended but the newspaper treatment 
is the best I have ever seen so I pass the idea along. 
Parenthetically, you will note that I do not recom- 
mend a grain sack for holding fish, in the chapter on 
tackle ! 

As soon as the angler reaches his fishing grounds he 
should remove his waders from the suit case or duffle 
bag and hang them up. Do not pack waders that are 
wet as they are liable to rot. As soon as the angler 
reaches home he should hang the waders in the open 
air until they are thoroughly dried. Do not roll them 
up when storing them between seasons. 

Boots or waders with a leak are worse than useless. 
The best way to locate a puncture is to blow up each 
boot or wader leg with a tire pump and submerge in 
a tub of w^ater when small bubbles will tell where the 
trouble is. The poorest way to find a leak is to have 
a trickle of icy water tell you about it. 

A leak can be patched by either inserting a rubber 
plug, such as is used for patching tires, or by a round 
patch put on with tire cement. The quick repair discs, 



98 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

that fit both over and under the hole and tighten, are 
also handy. A temporary patch can be made with 
adhesive tape or canoe glue. Best of all, if the ma- 
terial will permit, is to have the puncture vulcanized 
by the garage man. 

Outerwear 

Jacket 

The outerwear of the angler should be reasonably 
strong, weather-proof and inconspicuous. The latter 
points were quaintly brought out by Dennys in his 
oft-quoted verse: 

" And let your garments russet be or grey, 
Of colour darke and hardest to descry; 
That with the Raine or weather will away, 
And least offend the fearfull Fishes eye." 

Most Stream fishermen favor the regulation wad- 
ing jacket which has many advantages. It is made 
short — my little daughter aptly calls it a " monkey 
jacket " — so as not to drag in the water and has a 
wealth of pockets. A knapsack or large pocket in the 
back carries tennis slippers, cook kit, camera or lunch. 
Altogether, it is a sensible garment. 

Rain Cape or Coat 

To wear over the shoulders while fishing in the rain 
a cape of light rubber is made that is most convenient. 
It folds in slightly larger bulk than a handkerchief. 



APPAREL 99 

For fishing from a boat in bad weather I recommend 
the so-called folding motor rain coat. This garment 
is made on the style of a surgeon's over-all. It both 
puckers and snaps at the neck and the sleeves are 
closed at the wrists by sewed-in elastic which prevents 
water running up the arm. It covers the entire body 
and is absolutely waterproof. It packs in a rubber 
envelope making a package about a foot square and 3 
inches thick — handy as a cushion in fair weather. It 
is the first thing that goes in my duffle bag when I 
pack for a fishing or duck hunting trip. It should 
not be put away wet nor stored folded. 

Hat and Cap 

Most fly fishermen affect an old, battered felt hat 
with a wide, loose band on which they dry their flies 
before returning them to the book or box. Thus 
decorated they look, as my friend Herb Daniels once 
remarked, " like noble red men on the war path." 

I prefer a light khaki cap with a large, green lined 
visor or peak and ear laps and neck cape, such as duck 
hunters wear. I find it very handy to foil mosquitoes 
and black flies who often attack with intentions I 
suspect of being bloodthirsty. 

Head Nets 

Head nets, like waders, are the lesser of two evils. 
A cheap one is made of light netting and is held away 
from the face by the hat brim and ties under the arms. 



lOO PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

It folds very compactly. A more elaborate one is 
made of metal gauze. 

If you smoke get a head net provided with an open- 
ing for the purpose. 

Gloves 

A pair of light leather gloves is a comfort on 
" nippy " days and also protects one from mosquitoes. 
For the latter purpose tackle dealers sell a thin gaunt- 
let that covers the entire forearm. 

Goggles 

Some anglers find the sunbeams dancing on the 
riffies very trying to the eyes, making a pair of green 
or amber-colored goggles very comfortable. They 
cost from fifty cents up. 



I 



BIOLOGICAL 

SOMETHING ABOUT THE QUARRY 

THE SMALL MOUTHED BLACK BASS 
(Micropterus dolomieu) 

Know Fish 

< 4 f T is good luck to be on the good side of the man 
that knows Fish," said Walton. My purpose 
here is to tell something of the natural history 
of the fishes anglers woo so ardently. Later I will 
deal more specifically with the habits of the basses and 
trouts and their relation to that ever-interesting prob- 
lem, " Fishermen's Luck." 

H1STOR.ICAL 

The biological history of the black basses is covered 
so ably and scientifically by Dr. Henshall, in his " Book 
of the Black Bass," that I will touch the subject only 
in a general way. 

Louden, in his " The Small Mouthed Black Bass," 
states that the early Jesuit missionaries used the word 
" achigan " as early as 1655 to designate the small 
mouthed black bass. The word corresponds with the 
French word " bas " meaning stocking and certainly 
these hardy fishers of men must have included " our " 
fish in their Friday menus. Robert Roosevelt found 

lOI 



102 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

the Chlppewas of the Lake Superior Country still using 
the name " achigan " in the eighties. 

The first small mouthed black bass recognized by 
science was a specimen described by Lacepede in 1801. 
It happened to be a mutilated specimen and as a re- 
sult received the unfortunate generic name "microp- 
terus," meaning small fin. 

The small mouthed black bass is often called " red 
eye " by many anglers. 

Range 

The original range of the small mouthed black bass 
was probably restricted to the Great Lakes region, the 
northern parts of the Mississippi and Ohio valleys and 
perhaps the headwaters of certain Allegheny streams. 
Frank Forester in his " Fish and Fishing " says that 
the black bass was found in the basin of the St. Law- 
rence and the Great Lakes and was distributed in New 
York via the Erie Canal which was opened in 1825. 
We know that the small mouthed black bass was intro- 
duced into the Potomac in the early fifties and in other 
Eastern rivers soon after. Since then his range has 
been greatly extended by transplanting in most of the 
cold water streams of northern U. S. and Canada and 
in several European countries. 

Description 

The small mouthed black bass is too well known to 
warrant much of a description here. 

The coloration of the small mouthed black bass 



BIOLOGICAL 103 

varies considerably in different waters and even in 
individual specimens. Generally the back of this fish 
is dark, sometimes black; his sides of some shade of 
green and his belly cream colored or dull white. 
Young specimens are usually marked with dark patches 
or bars placed vertically, seldom horizontally, on the 
body. Three dark streaks cross the cheeks but as the 
fish grows older all marking may become faint or be 
lost entirely. 

Habitat 

The small mouthed black bass is essentially a fish 
of cold, moving, clear water and for this reason is most 
often found in swift streams or in large bodies of 
water where there are currents and sand and gravel 
bars or rocky ledges. For this reason waters like the 
Georgian Bay and many of our Northern lakes and 
streams are ideal for this fish. Sir Dolomieu does 
not thrive in warm, still, shallow, weedy waters. 

Food 

One look at the mouth of the black bass tells its own 
story. His small brush-like teeth proclaim to all ob- 
servers that his favorite foods are craw-fish, insects, 
helgramites and other larvae. He will also feed on 
minnows but is not as piscivorous as is generally be- 
lieved although he can, and in some waters must, live 
almost entirely on small fishes. He is an enterprising 
feeder, not always content to wait for something to 
" turn up." 



I04 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

Breeding and Growth 

The black basses belong to the Centrachidae or 
fresh water sunfish family and breed in the Spring. 
The small mouthed commences as early as April in 
some waters and as late as July in the far North. The 
spawning time depends mainly on the condition of the 
water, the fish showing little interest in raising a 
family until the temperature of the water reaches 50 
degrees F. They spawn earliest in shallow waters. 

The small mouthed black bass prefers to make his 
nest on sand, gravel or rocky ledges, the male fish do- 
ing all the nest building. Sometimes he will merely 
scoop out a depression in the sand and occasionally one 
will roll pebbles into a cluster and carefully polish 
each one although generally they are not as good house- 
keepers as their smaller cousins, the common sunfish. 

When the nest is completed the fish sallies forth like 
a knight of old seeking ye laydie faire. When he 
finds her he exerts himself to make a favorable impres- 
sion meanwhile driving the trying-to-appear-reluctant 
charmer into the nest. Here he ascertains whether or 
not she is ripe. If not he angrily drives her away 
and seeks a more suitable mate. If she is ready to 
expel the eggs he induces her to do so and fertilizes 
them as they are ejected. Upon completing this func- 
tion the female's interest in the family ceases forthwith 
and the male proceeds to guard the precious eggs, 
hovering over them diligently, fanning with fins and 
tail to keep the water circulating over them and to 



BIOLOGICAL 105 

prevent sediment settling. During this time he shows 
remarkable bravery in defending his charges and will 
drive away any fish regardless of size. 

The eggs hatch, on an average, in twelve days de- 
pending on the temperature of the water. The fry, 
which are almost invisible the first few days, hover over 
the nest for from forty-eight to sixty hours rising and 
falling as the surface water warms and cools. Later 
the proud father leads his numerous flock to the weed 
beds and leaves them to fend for themselves. Here be- 
gins an existence that cannot help but breed brave, 
strong, lusty fishes. They are not only pursued by ene- 
mies of all sorts but soon develop a fierce cannibalism 
and prey upon one another. Needless to say, those 
that survive are extremely fit and it is this cruel, fierce 
youth that produces the doughty warriors that we all 
love to engage in battle. 

The young fishes feed upon the minute organisms 
found in all suitable bass waters, chief of which are 
daphnia, cyclops and other Crustacea and larvae. 
The little fellows that survive attain the fingerling 
stage, three to six inches, by Autumn and are almost a 
pound in weight the following year. Thereafter they 
are said to gain a pound a year but I believe this esti- 
mate to be excessive. They continue growing until 
they reach the average maximum which is between five 
and six pounds. Under very favorable conditions they 
will exceed this weight but not as often as anglers sup- 
pose. In one lake in New York a number of speci- 
mens have been caught weighing up to 10 pounds. In 



io6 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

the fishing contest conducted annually by Field and 
Stream an entry was made in 191 8 that was claimed 
to have tipped the scales at the colossal weight of six- 
teen pounds but the entry was disqualified for lack of 
suitable evidence. The first prize went to a specimen 
weighing 9% pounds which is a large small mouthed 
bass. The average weight of the prize winners in 
this contest for the past eight years was approximately 
7/i pounds. 

One of the reasons why the small mouthed bass does 
not attain greater size is due to its habit of spending 
the winters in a state of semi-hibernation, when it does 
little or no feeding. 

Edibility 

As one would expect of a fish living in cold, clear 
water and feeding, by choice on Crustacea and similar 
foods, the small mouthed bass is an excellent table fish. 
His flesh is firm, white, netted with fine, dark veins, 
flaky and of a fine flavor and succulence. It is not as 
oily as that of the trout and can be eaten oftener with- 
out surfeit. In short, the small mouthed black bass 
ranks with the very best of all food fishes. 

Cultural Difficulties 

It is unfortunate that the female bass cannot be 
stripped and the eggs hatched artificially like those of 
the trout. The eggs of the bass are gelatinous and al- 
most impossible to fertilize artificially and the best the 
fish culturist can do is to construct breeding ponds and 



BIOLOGICAL 107 

permit the fish to breed under favorable conditions and 
raise the fry with as much freedom from their natural 
enemies, including their cannibalistic tendencies, as 
possible. 

It is not unusual for a female bass to spawn two 
or more times in a season and as many as seven thou- 
sand eggs to the pound of parent fish have been 
counted. 

If a stream has suitable spawning beds, and they 
can be constructed if they do not exist naturally, the 
fish will maintain themselves providing the fishing is 
confined to legitimate hook and line. It is netting, 
dynamiting, and other illegal methods that have de- 
populated so many of our good bass streams of yester- 
year. 

Gameness 

As to the gameness of the black bass there is little 
to add to Dr. Henshall's famous summary : '' He is 
plucky, game, brave and unyielding to the last when 
hooked. He has the arrowy rush and vigor of the 
trout, the untiring strength and bold leap of the sal- 
mon, while he has a system of fighting tactics pecu- 
liarly his own. He will rise to the artificial fly as 
readily as the salmon or the brook trout under the 
same conditions and will take the live minnow, or 
other live bait, under any and all circumstances favor- 
able to the taking of any fish. I consider him, inch 
for inch, and pound for pound, the gamest fish that 
swims." 



io8 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

Trout fishermen have often disagreed with the above 
which they have a right to do. 

Biologically, the black bass is a fish superior to any 
of the salmon tribe which are of a more primitive type 
as shown by their abdominal ventrals, their soft rayed 
fins and cycloid scales, the bass with his thoracic ven- 
trals, ctenoid scales and spines in his fins, being more 
advanced. His breeding habits and the care he takes 
of his young add to his biological superiority. With- 
out much exaggeration, one could say that the trouts 
and salmon are herrings with college educations while 
the bass is to the manner born. All this, however, is 
cold science and belittles a noble race of fishes — fishes 
all real anglers love if they know them. 

The fighting tactics of the small mouthed bass are 
characteristic. He seldom sulks but keeps on the move 
when hooked. Nearly always he leaps at least once 
and usually again and again. His leap is different 
from that of the brown trout (fario) or the rainbow 
trout (irideus), the brook trout never leaping on a 
slack line except on the covers of magazines. These 
two trouts merely break water and turn over but the 
bass *' stands on his tail " and, having no neck with 
which to shake his head, he shakes his whole body — 
a strategic move that often, very often, ends in dis- 
asiter to the angler's tackle. Failing to shake out the 
hook by leaping and shaking, he is quick to take ad- 
vantage of any near-by snag, around which he will 
quickly wrap the line or leader or saw it off on any 
jagged rock or debris he can find. Another of his 



BIOLOGICAL 



109 



tricks is to rush straight at the boat or angler thus 
getting slack for another leap or for tangling the ter- 
minal tackle. As an old river man expressed it: 




Small-mouthed Black Bass 

" Other fish are smart but a river bass is plumb in- 
tellectual ! " Everything considered, the fight of the 
bass is the " thrillingest " of any fish I have ever 
hooked. 




Large-mouthed Black Bass 

If Walton had known the black bass I venture the 
guess that he w^ould have pronounced him a brave and 
noble fish. 



no PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 



Large and Small Mouthed Basses Compared 

Inexperienced anglers often have trouble distinguish- 
ing between the large and small mouthed basses al- 
though the differences are distinct. The small mouthed 
species is generally darker colored and, of course, 
has a smaller mouth, and by comparing the two in 
the illustration (which is from the " Manual of Fish 
Culture " of the U. S. Department of Fisheries and 
correct) one can see that the small mouthed is trimmer 
in build and the maxillary — the thin, tough, mus- 
tache-like plate on the upper lip — extends only to the 
eye in the small mouthed and to behind the e5^e in 
the large mouthed. The U. S. Fisheries Department 
gives the following comparison: 

Large-mouthed Black Bass 

" Body comparatively long, the depth about one-third 
the length; back little elevated; head large, 3 to 31^ 
in body; eye 5 to 6 in head; mouth very large, the 
maxillary in adults extending beyond eye, smaller in 
young. Ten rows of scales on the cheeks; body scales 
large, about 68 in the lateral line, and 7 above and 
16 below the line. Dorsal fin low, deeply notched, 
larger than anal, with 10 spines and 12 or 13 soft 
rays; anal with 3 spines and 10 or 11 rays. Color 
above dark-green, sides greenish-silvery, belly white; 
young with a blackish band along sides from opercle to 
tail, the band breaking up and growing paler with 
age; caudal fin pale at base, white on edge and black 



BIOLOGICAL III 

between ; older specimens almost uniformly dull green- 
ish ; three dark oblique stripes across opercle and cheek ; 
dark blotch on opercle. 

Small-mouthed Black Bass 

Similar in form to large-mouth bass. Mouth 
smaller, the maxillary terminating in front of posterior 
edge of eye, except in very old specimens. About 17 
rows of small scales on the cheeks; body scales small, 
11-74-17. Dorsal fin less deeply notched than in 
other species, with 10 spines and 13 to 15 rays; anal 
with 3 spines and 12 or 13 rays. General color dull 
golden-green, belly white ; young with dark spots along 
sides tending to form irregular vertical bars, but never 
a lateral band; caudal fin yellowish at base, white at 
tip, with dark intervening area; dorsal with bronze 
spots and dusky edge; three radiating bronze stripes 
extending backward from eye; dusky spot on point of 
opercle." 

If the angler will keep in mind the extent of the 
maxillary and the number of scales on the cheeks he 
will experience little difficulty in identifying his catch. 

LARGE MOUTHED BLACK BASS 
(Micropterus salraoides) 

Historical 

Although the large mouthed black bass was prob- 
ably known to the early Spanish explorers of the 
southeastern United States, they made no mention of 
it that I can find. The French icthyologist Lacepede 



112 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

was also the first to recognize this fish scientifically, his 
specimen being sent from South Carolina in 1802. 
He gave it the specific name salmoides or " salmon- 
like." 

Range 

The range of the large mouthed black bass is much 
greater than that of the small mouthed. His natural 
distribution extended from Canada to Florida and 
Mexico and he has been successfully transplanted into 
every state of the Union as well as abroad. Because 
of his extended range, the large mouthed black bass 
has many absurd vernacular names. In the South the 
term ** trout " is applied to this fish and is in general 
use, and in Wisconsin he is called '' green bass " ; 
" Oswego bass " is also a common name throughout 
the North. Other names are: straw bass, slough bass, 
moss bass, marsh bass, chubb, green trout, bronze 
backer. Equally unscientific is it to refer to the small 
mouthed bass as the black bass, thus suggesting that 
the large mouthed species is something else — salmoides 
is as much a black bass as is dolomieu. 

Description 

In color the large mouthed black bass shows a 
greater variation being inclined to have a yellow or 
brassy tint. Color however does not signify much in 
fishes especially as regards the black basses. Character 
of water, bottom or cover, food and other local pe- 
culiarities govern the color of fishes as well as the 



BIOLOGICAL 113 

moods of the individual fish. Discomfort, pain, fear, 
anger or other emotions can quickly change a fish's 
color. Keepers of aquariums soon learn to recognize 
a fish's condition by its color. I once caught a large 
mouthed black bass weighing a little over five pounds 
that was the color of polished brass. He is still living 
in the breeding ponds at Bass Lake, Ind., but has lost 
most of his glorious tint. 

' Habitat 

The large mouthed black bass is not as aristocratic 
as the small mouthed and will do well in still, weedy 
waters or in slow, sedge-bordered rivers although he 
is often found in the same lake or stream as the small 
mouthed. Under such conditions you will usually find 
him in the weedier portion, which he prefers. 

Food 

The teeth of the large mouthed bass are the same 
as those of the small mouthed and his feeding habits 
are similar but not quite as dainty. He adds to his 
diet such food as is naturally found in his habitat, such 
as snakes, warm water minnows and young fishes, not 
even passing by young muskrats, or half-grown water 
birds. Frogs are also included in his diet by most 
anglers, probably because they make excellent bass 
bait, and he will eat them when he gets the chance, 
which is not often. His habitat does not generally 
compel him to be as active as the small mouthed which 
inclines him toward sluggishness. 



114 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

Breeding and Growth 

The breeding habits of the large mouthed bass do 
not differ materially from those of the small mouthed 
except that he will take advantage of his habitat and 
build his nest on the roots of a water plant. Being 
larger, as a rule, the females lay more eggs, have 
larger broods, and nesting in warm water, the eggs 
hatch sooner and the fry grow faster. Another ad- 
vantage is that the fry do not develop cannibalism 
until they reach the fingerling stage. 

Large mouthed bass average more in weight than 
the small mouthed of equal age but in Northern waters 
their maximum weight is but little more. In the 
South, where the winters are mild and food abundant, 
the fish do not hibernate and feed the year around 
and attain great weights. Dr. Henshall has taken 
these Southern bass up to fourteen pounds on a fly and 
up to twenty pounds on bait. I have seen a mounted 
specimen that is said to have weighed twenty-two 
pounds and he looked it. These extra large fish, how- 
ever, are nowhere abundant but many are caught in 
Southern waters up to ten pounds. 

The average weights of the prize winners since 
19 12 of the different classes in the Field and Stream 
annual contests are as follows: Southern, 13% 
pounds; northern, gj4 pounds. 

Gameness 
A great many anglers are of the opinion that the 



BIOLOGICAL 115 

small mouthed bass is the gamer fish. Authorities say 
not but in the light of my own experience I agree 
with the lay majority and cast my vote in favor of 
dolomieu. Dr. Henshall and others tell us that when 
taken from the same waters there is little difference 
in their fighting abilities, the natural speed of the 
small mouthed being off-set by the greater weight and 
strength of salmoides. My experience is that these 
fish are seldom taken in the same waters. They are 
often found in the same lake or river but it is usually 
possible for the fish to gratify their individual prefer- 
ences and the large mouthed bass is usually found in 
the weeds; the small mouthed on the bars or ledges 
or where there are currents. When the two fishes 
actually are taken from the same water there is little 
difference in their fighting and no one can tell which 
fish he has hooked. 

I have taken large mouthed bass in weedy, shallow 
waters when the fight was decidedly disappointing but 
under favorable circumstances the large mouthed bass 
is a game fish of the first class. He also has the repu- 
tation of rising more willingly to the fly, which is 
much in his favor. 

I would rather catch small mouthed bass but I con- 
sider the large mouthed the more valuable fish because 
of his greater adaptability. 

Edibility 

When taken from cold clear water the large mouthed 
black bass is a fine food fish. When from weedy 



ii6 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

waters, especially in mid-summer, he is apt to have a 
slighty " muddy " flavor which can best be remedied 
by skinning the fish. 

ROCK BASS 
(Ambloplites rupestris) 

I include this little cousin of the black basses merely 
because he is so often found in good bass streams, be- 
ing something of a nuisance when the bass are rising 
well but welcome enough when the larger, better fish 
register indifference to our masterful casting! 

In appearance the rock bass is a sort of connecting 
link between the common sunfishes and the black bass. 
His color tends towards mottled, olive green and he 
has a large mouth and a large red eye. He is often 
called " goggle-eye." In size he seldom exceeds a 
pound, more often half that weight, but is a willing 
riser to the fly, strikes viciously and, for a short time at 
least, puts up a good fight for his ounces. 

The rock bass frequents the same places as his 
larger cousin, lives on the same food and his breeding 
habits are similar. They often travel in small schools 
and are very fond of underwater rock piles, stone abut- 
ments and such places where they find food and cover. 
When taken from cold water they are good pan fishes 
and for this reason are great favorites with young 
anglers. 

The other sunfishes — crappies, blue gills, pumpkin 
seeds, etc.,- — all rise to the fly under favorable condi- 



BIOLOGICAL 117 

tions, ranking as game fishes about the same as the rock 
bass. One also hooks pike, pickerel and pike-perch 
when fly fishing for bass. 

THE BROOK TROUT 

(Salvelinus fontinalis) 

Historical 

To every angler living east of the Rockies the word 
" trout " signifies the eastern brook trout — the little 
charr of the fountains. This is the trout of song and 
story so far as America is concerned and he deserves 
all the praise and admiration he has received. 

The first settlers of New England were quick to dis- 
cover the " troute " in the brooks but the scientific his- 
tory of the fish is disappointing. Dr. Bethune, writing 
in 1847, said: " The history of the trout and salmon 
is as yet very obscure, especially in this country. Dr. 
De Kay describes but three species of salmon and two 
of trout." Even to this day there is disagreement as 
to the exact scientific status of certain species and sub- 
species. This confusion is not surprising to any one 
acquainted with the variations met with in the salmon 
family. 

Range 

"The Manual of Fish Culture" of the United 
States Department of Fisheries says: "The natural 
range of the brook trout in the United States is from 
IMaine to Georgia and westward through the Great 



ii8 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

Lakes region to Minnesota, and in Canada from Lab- 
rador to the Saskatchewan. Owing to its hardy na- 
ture and ability to adapt itself to new surroundings it 
may be successfully transplanted into streams and has 
been extensively introduced into waters in which it is 
not native; in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, 
many of the waters of the Rocky Mountains and the 
Pacific coast, the eastern states and the creeks and 
rivers of the Alleghany range of mountains." 

Description 

No artist can paint nor writer describe adequately 
the beauties of a freshly caught brook trout. As the 
old fashioned advertisements say, he " must be seen 
to be appreciated." 




Brook Trout 

In form the brook trout up to two or three pounds 
is the ideal fish — trim and neat. Larger specimens 
become aldermanic, with cruel looking, undershot jaws. 



BIOLOGICAL 119 

The eye is placed high in the head as one would expect 

of a fish that might be called " insectivorous." 

In coloration the brook trout is truly a thing of 
beauty. A recently caught male fish of fifteen ounces 
lies before me as I write. Looking down on the back 
it appears to be purplish in color, the lighter vermicula- 
tions or worm marks mottling the back almost like the 
so-called mackerel sky ; the dorsal fin is similarly 
marked. The sides, in the middle, are covered with 
spots much lighter than the green-gray ground color. 
Many of these spots — seemingly haphazardly — are 
themselves decorated with tiny dots of brilliant red, 
most of these red spots being below the distinct median 
line and none of them behind the anterior end of the 
anal fin. The tail fin is mottled red, bordered with 
black. The belly is light colored with just a sugges- 
tion of pink and azure, the tiny scales giving it a 
silken sheen, most beautiful to behold. The lower fins 
are red, slightly flecked with dark spots and with a 
black and white edging. 

Male fishes always carry more red than females and 
are most gorgeously colored during the breeding sea- 
son. The environment has much to do with colora- 
tion. I have taken fish above a dam in dead water 
with muck bottom that were velvety black on the back 
and much darker throughout; below the same dam, 
where the bottom is sand and gravel, I have taken fish 
so much lighter and brilliant that a novice would be 
tempted to believe them of a different species; from 



I20 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

a deep lake I have taken brook trout that were almost 
azure, dusted with bronze flecks, and sea run trout 
are silvery white. 

Habitat 

The beauties of the brook trout and its habitat have 
much to do with the enthusiasm of anglers who go 
a-trouting. As Camp points out we always associate 
the brook trout with white tailed deer, the partridge 
and the gray squirrel. Cone bearing trees, cold purl- 
ing water, some distance removed from civilization, are 
the true settings of trout and trouting, for the brook 
trout is essentially a fish of the silent places. 

Food 

As any observer would surmise by looking at a 
trout's teeth he is carnivorous. Crustacea, snails and 
other molluscs, insects and their larvae and small 
fishes make up the main diet of the trout although 
when they reach the " whopper " stage they become 
gross feeders and will not hesitate to snap up a small 
snake, water bird or even their own kind. 

Breeding and Growth 

The brook trout is a fall spawner, for which reason 
the legal season in most states closes in September 
or October. Contrary to general belief the brook 
trout does not require cold water. Providing the 
water is sufficiently aerated, trout will breed and thrive 
if it goes as high as 70 or even 80 degrees F. Ideal 



BIOLOGICAL 121 

conditions, however, call for cold water, well aerated, 
with shallow spots with gravel bottom, or feeder 
creeks containing such places, where the fish can run 
Up to spawn. 

Spawning commences as early as August in the Lake 
Superior region and from the middle of October to 
November in mid west and New England waters. 
The spawning period lasts seven or eight weeks, the 
fish slowly working up stream, or up into the small 
tributaries, where the female scoops out a nest and 
deposits her eggs. The male — now a gaily garbed 
Romeo — does his " showing of? " for the lady's edi- 
fication and fertilizes the eggs when they are ejected; 
then the female covers them with gravel and leaves 
them. A yearling fish yields only about 200 eggs — 
something to be remembered by the man who is tempted 
to keep the little ones. 

The hatching period depends on the temperature 
of the water. The fish culturist prefers water of from 
45 to 50 degrees F. in which the fish hatch in from 
45 to 60 days, but in a natural state the hatching 
usually takes closer to icx) days; sometimes as long 
as 220 daj^s. 

Growth of the fry is governed somewhat by the 
amount of available food and the water conditions. 
Ordinarily a trout weighs an ounce or less during the 
first year after which the growth is more rapid ; a two 
year old fish weighs eight to ten ounces and a pound 
trout is usually three years old. 

In waters that are much fished, especially small 



122 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

streams, a pound trout is considered a large one. In 
Maine, brook trout have been taken up to ten pounds 
and Frank Forrester (1848) tells of one brought into 
the Soo by an Indian that weighed 1 1 pounds. In his 
"Sportsmen's Gazetteer" (1877) Hallock mentions a 
brook trout of 17 pounds but unfortunately he gives 
no particulars. The present record for the Nipigon 
waters, and perhaps of any waters, is a specimen of 
14I/2 pounds caught in 19 16 by Dr. Cook of Fort 
William, Ont. 

Edibility 

One who has never tasted a brook trout fresh from 
the water and cooked over a fire on the streamside is 
not competent to pass on the edible qualities of this 
fish. Take small trout, cook with bacon in the open 
so that the flavor of the wood fire can be tasted — as 
the paper from our home town puts it : " nuf ced ! " 

Gameness 

Beyond any possibility of doubt the brook trout 
deserves a place in the front ranks as a game fish. No 
angler ever sees one flash from an overhanging bank 
and seize the fraudulent feather without being thrilled, 
for the brook trout is the very embodiment of speed 
and natural grace. Once he is hooked he fights with 
unequaled determination and strength but he has one 
fault: he does not leap on a slack line. For this rea- 
son I am tempted to place him just a shade below the 
rainbow trout and small mouthed bass as a game fish, 



BIOLOGICAL 123 

knowing that a great many anglers of more experience 
than I have had, will not agree with me. Anyway 
he is a grand fish worthy of all the enthusiasm he 
arouses in the hearts of his admirers. 

Historical 

(Salmo Irideus) 
THE RAINBOW TROUT 

When the first Americans went to California they 
found there an abundance of speckled fishes which they 
instantly classified as trout as they did all speckled 
fishes. The rainbow family of salmon trout is di- 
vided into one species and five sub-species, and as 
you shall see later, it is one of these sub-species that we 
are mostly interested in. 

The typical species is a common fish in the moun- 
tain streams of California. The five sub-species em- 
brace the following: the brook trout of western Ore- 
gon (masoni) ; the Kern River trout (gilberti) ; the 
noshee trout (stonei) ; the golden trout of Mt. Whit- 
ney (aqua-bonita) ; and, finally, the McCloud River 
trout (shasta) which is the variety that has been trans- 
planted so successfully in the waters throughout the 
United States. This is the fish that most anglers have 
in mind when they refer to the rainbow trout. 

The Shasta rainbow trout has been transplanted 
into several western states; Michigan, Wisconsin, Min- 
nesota ; throughout the east and the Alleghanies ; in the 
Ozarks and in several Rocky Mountain states and in 



124 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

almost every instance the new habitat has improved the 
fish, piscatorially at least. Anglers who have taken 
this fish in Michigan and the Ozarks, as well as in its 
native waters, say that the transplanted fish are far 
superior to the westerners, while strange to say, the 
eastern brook trout, when transplanted into western 
waters are said to be disappointing. 

The great value of the rainbow trout is his ability 
to thrive in streams which lumbering operations have 
made unsuitable for the wilderness loving brook trout. 
The rainbow does well in warmer, less highly aerated 
waters than will fontinalis. 




Rainbow Trout 

Description 

The rainbow trout is heavier and stockier than 
fontinalis; his mouth is noticeably smaller and his tail 
slightly forked. The rainbow's back is bluish; sides 
are silvery and belly white. The spots are black and 
cover the back, fins and tail, the spots varying with 
the different sub-species. A red or rosy band extends 



BIOLOGICAL 125 

along the sides. While not as beautiful as the brook 
trout the rainbow is a handsome fish. 

Habitat 

In his native waters the rainbow lives in swift, cold 
water but transplanting has shown that he will thrive 
in fairly warm, deep and ** dead " water although in 
most rivers he will show a marked preference for the 
rapids. 

Food 

Like all trout the rainbow feeds on insects, larvae, 
molluscs and small fishes although he has the reputa- 
tion of liking fish less than other trout, with which 
theory we do not agree. 

Breeding and Growth 

The spawning season varies a great deal with lo- 
cality and conditions. In California the breeding sea- 
son is said to be from February to May; in Colorado 
from May to July; in the middle west and the east, 
usually in February and March. Salmon-like they lay 
their eggs in the gravel and leave them to shift for 
themselves. 

Growth is naturally quicker where food is plentiful. 
In certain parts of the west where feed is scarce they 
do not exceed a fraction of a pound in weight. In the 
Ozarks and parts of the west they have been known 
to attain to twenty-six pounds; in mid western waters 
they sometimes reach ten pounds which is about their 



126 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

limit in California. A three year old fish will weigh 
between one and two pounds. 

Edibility 
The rainbow trout is a good table fish but not equal 
to the brook trout in this respect. They have a ten- 
dency to get " soft " quickly so they should be the first 
put on the table when mixed varieties are taken. 

Gameness 
Irideus is a most brilliant fighter. He rises oblig- 
ingly to flies ; he is lightning fast ; makes long runs and 
leaps like an acrobat. He is quite the equal of the 
small mouthed bass: he jumps better and takes flies 
more willingly but does not fight as doggedly. 

THE BROWN TROUT 
(Salmo fario) 

Historical 

This is a fish of ancient lineage — the " troute " 
that Dame Berners, Izaak Walton and other British 
writers laud so highly. This fish is found in the 
British Isles and throughout continental Europe and 
was transplanted to American waters in 1882-3. The 
eggs were presented to Fred Mather by Baron V^on 
Behr, a German fish culturist, and for that reason 
fario was once known as Von Behr or German brown 
trout in this country. This fish has now been exten- 
sively transplanted in American waters east of the 
Rockies. 



BIOLOGICAL 127 



Description 



I consider fario a handsome fish, especially when 
taken from deep, shaded places. His velvety, dark 
skin then offers a pleasing contrast to his rich, red 
spots. In form the brown trout is slimmer than fon- 
tinalis and his tail is squarer. In color his back is 
dark, spotted with black; the dorsal fin has both black 
and red spots, the adipose fin being decorated with 
three bright red spots, while the lower fins are orange, 
The sides are yellow and the belly dull white. 

Since the rainbow and brown trout are so extensively 
planted it might be well to point out the distinguishing 
features of each fish so that the young angler may 
know what he has caught: 

Brook Trout — vermiculations or worm-like mark- 
ings on back; scales almost invisible; mouth large, jaw 
extending back of eye; single patch of teeth on vomer 
or roof bone of mouth. 

Brown Trout — no vermiculations on back ; scales 
visible; mouth slightly smaller than brook trout; one 
or two rows of teeth on front and rear parts of vomer; 
more yellow in coloration; spots red but larger than 
those of fontinalis and seldom found below median 
line ; tail square. 

Rainbow Trout — no vermiculations ; mouth very 
small; scales large; red patch or band on sides; same 
tooth formation on vomer as in brown trout; spots 
black and irregular, distributed over body and fins. 



128 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

Habitat 

Like the rainbow trout, fario has shown himself 
suited to waters of higher temperature and less aera- 
tion than fontinalis likes. Highly carnivorous and 
not recommended as a stocking fish for waters where 
the brook trout is holding his own. 

Food 

The brown trout feeds on practically the same food 
as our native trouts but is more piscivorous. 

Breeding and Growth 

Fario is a spring spawner and his greatest value is 
his ability to grow fast. In England they grow but 
four ounces or so a year; in this country they will 
gain nearly a pound a year under favorable condi- 
tions. Dr. Henshall tells of two fish that weighed 
six pounds each at four years of age. They have been 
taken in this country up to sixteen pounds. In five 
years of the Field and Stream fishing contest the lar- 
gest brown trout entry was nine pounds, one ounce or 
just one ounce larger than the largest brook trout. 
Brown trout, however, average larger in size than our 
native charr. 

Edibility 

The brown trout is an excellent table fish, being the 
equal of the rainbow trout in this respect but not as 



BIOLOGICAL 129 

good as fontinalis. Large specimens are inclined to 
be " beefy." 

Gameness 

There is a diversity of opinion as to the qualities 
of the brown trout in American waters. " The brown 
trout is without doubt the least attractive of all the 
trouts in America," says Charles Southard, and Wm. 
C. Harris said: "It has no angling qualities that 
render its presence desirable in our trout streams." 
On the other hand O. Warren Smith says: ''There 
is no question in my mind that the introduced fish 
[meaning both rainbows and browns] are in all game 
points the peer of the native brook trout." Samuel 
Camp states: "Purely as a sporting proposition the 
brown trout is a decided success; in other words he 
puts up a good fight." 

I consider the brown trout a fine fish. He is a 
good fighter; a high leaper and he rises more willingly 
to flies than any other trout; he thrives in waters not 
suitable for other trouts; he is handsome and good to 
eat. What more can we ask of a fish? 

OTHER TROUT 

Our western states have a confusing variety of 
trout. Local names bewilder the '' tenderfoot from 
the effete east " but for the sake of convenience most 
of these fishes have been placed in three distinct series. 

Besides the rainbow and its five sub-species there 



130 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

is the cut throat trout (Salmo clarkii) and 12 sub- 
species and the steel head trout (Salmo gairdneri) and 
three sub-species. These fishes are all salmon trout, 
the only charr native to the Rocky Mountain waters 
being the bull trout. 

The Colorado trout known generally as the cut 
throat, mountain trout or black spotted trout is the 
fish most sought by tourists and natives in the western 
mountains. Concerning this fish Shields said: "The 
habits as well as color and shape of the Rocky Moun- 
tain trout vary in different waters but in all cases are 
different from those of the eastern brook trout. The 
latter loves to hide under a log, a drift or a rock 
while the former seeks an open riffle or rapid for his 
feeding or lounging ground and when alarmed takes 
refuge in some deep or open pool, but rarely or never 
under a rock or log. Fontinalis is a lover of dark, 
shady nooks while clarkii always prefers the sunniest 
parts of lake or stream. The eastern trout feeds well 
into the night while his mountain cousin suspends 
operations promptly at sunset. 

" As to game qualities the western trout is every 
inch the peer of his eastern congener." 

Other writers disagree as to the relative gameness 
of the mountain trout as compared with fontinalis but 
they all accord the mountain fish unstinted praise. 

The cut throat trout gets his name from a blood- 
red, gash-like marking on the throat and he is always 
heavily spotted with round, black spots. These spots 



BIOLOGICAL 131 

are heavier on the upper part of sides and on the tail 
and dorsal fins. 

This trout spawns in the spring and in some of the 
sub-species reaches a weight of nine pounds in fresh 
water and up to twenty-five pounds when sea run, 
at which time the market fishermen call them *' salmon 
trout." 

The steel head was once considered the same fish 




Mountain Trout 

as the cut throat and many western anglers still main- 
tain that the rainbow and the steel-head are identical 
except for local variations, showing that all of these 
western fishes greatly resemble each other in a general 
way at least. 

The steel head trout is looked upon as a good game 
fish in the west, rising well to flies in the streams and 
putting up a good fight, mostly in the air like the rain- 
bow. At the mouths of rivers very large specimens are 
taken with live bait. 

The Dolly Varden or bull trout (Salvelinus malma) 
is the only charr native to the west. It is a stockier 



132 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

fish than the brook trout and can be told by its larger 
red spots on the sides, those on the back being very 
small and faint and vermiculations are not present. 
This trout rises most freely to flies, in both lakes and 
rivers, and is considered a good fighter. 

In addition to the foregoing there are a number of 
other species or trout found in American waters. We 
have, all told, twenty-seven forms of salmon trout and 
fifteen charrs, only five of them being imported. Some 
are only of local interest or do not respond to the fly 
fishers' efforts but all together they represent a collec- 
tion of fishes that no other continent can equal. 



PREPARATORY 

getting ready for the first cast 

Going to the Water 

IF the " getting-in place " is not far from the water 
so much the better. If the angler must travel 
some distance to the stream or lake it is best not 
to wear the waders. Carry them and wear a pair of 
moccasins or tennis slippers on the feet which, when 
the waders are donned, can either be cached or car- 
ried inside of the waders, by tying the strings together 
and suspending on the belt, or in the knapsack pocket 
of the " monkey jacket." 

Be sure that some leaders are soaking when you leave 
for the fishing grounds. 

The rod should not be jointed up until the waters 
are reached. The rod that is carried jointed in a 
wagon or motor car is subjected to injurious vibrations 
to say nothing of the increased danger of smashing it 
and the bother of carrying it through the brush. 

Jointing the Rod 

Take the tip joint and rub the male ferrule along 

the side of your nose, or in your hair, to lubricate it — 

boys who have grown bald obviously must use their 

noses. Join the tip to the middle joint, putting on 

133 



134 



PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 



the butt, or Independent handle, last. Have all the 
guides in line. In taking the rod down this order is 
reversed and you start from the butt end and work 
up. 

Be sure that the reel Is fastened securely In the reel 
seat and that It Is on the underside of the rod with 
the handle to the right. Reeve the line through the 
guides and pull enough line through the tip so you 
can work with it without putting a strain on the rod. 

Tying Line to Leader 
There are a number of good knots for tying line 




Jam Knots 
Figure 8 

to leader. Perhaps the most popular Is the simple 
jam knot — figures 8 and 9. A small knot is first 
tied on the end of the line. Now, assuming that you 



Jam Knots 
Figure 9 

are right handed, hold the leader loop in the left hand 
so that the end Is pointing toward you. Insert the 
knotted end of the line up through and then around 



PREPARATORY 135 

the loop, under the line, and pull tight. Figure 9 
shows another way. A modification of this knot, and 
one I prefer, is the tiller hitch — figure 10. No knot 
is made in the line. A regular jam knot is tied but 




Tiller Hitch 
Figure 10 

before tightening the end is returned so that a slight 
pull will release it — handy for changing leaders. 
The ordinary bow line and other knots are sometimes 
used. 

Tying Fly to Leader 

The jam knot may be used but the best knot I 
have seen for tying fly to leader is the turle knot, fig- 



ATTACHING DRY-FLY TO LEADER 




Turle Knot 
Figure 11 

ure II. It is made by running the end of the leader 
through the eye, tying a noose or slip knot, inserting 
fly through the loop so made and tightening so the 
knot jams under the eye. An ordinary half hitch will 



136 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

do as well for the straight eyed or ringed hook or the 
loop of twisted gut. For the latter the jam and tiller 
hitch are sometimes used. Dropper flies may be at- 
tached to tied-on strands or tippets mentioned in the 
section on leader tying. Finally look over the rod, 
line, leader and fly to see if everything is in order. 
If so, you are ready for the first cast. 



CASTING 

the mechanical process of "throwing the 
feathers " 

Learning to Cast 

THE best way to learn how to cast a fly Is to 
go a-fishing with some experienced fly fisher- 
man and follow his instructions and example. 
Next best Is to join a casting club and learn how from 
the " old hands " always found in such organizations 
and who are always glad to help a beginner. The 
least desirable way to learn Is from printed Instructions 
although they will help If the novice Is so situated that 
he cannot secure the services of an instructor. 

A stretch of clear water with ample room for a good 
back cast is the place to learn fly casting but a lawn 
without obstructions will do. Do not cast on a road 
or other bare ground or you will ruin your line. 

The Theory 

The theory of casting a fly Is simple. One has a 
long, more or less pliant rod to act as an Instrument 
of propulsion to throw out a line, leader, and fly or 
cast of flies. The motive power is furnished by the 
caster's forearm and wrist, aided by the spring of the 
rod and supplemented by the weight of the line pass- 
137 



138 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

ing backward and forward through the air. Reduced 
to mechanical terms the rod is the lever, the fulcrum 
being the hand and the counterweight the reel and reel 
seat. 

Grasping the Rod 

The way one grasps his rod has more to do with 
good casting than the beginner would believe. The 
natural way would be to wrap the fingers around the 
handle with the thumb over the fingers; the correct 
way is to have the thumb pointing along the rod. This 
is more important than it seems because it gives the 
muscles of the wrist free play and the thumb serves 
to give both force and direction to the cast. The first 
or index finger is sometimes used the same way to give 
the thumb relief after much casting. 

The Overhead Cast 

The overhead or over-the-shoulder is the cast most 
often used, the others being modifications of it im- 
provised to meet extraordinary conditions. It is the 
cast for everyday fishing and for accuracy. In learn- 
ing this cast the novice should anchor a barrel hoop 
or other target in the water, or if he is learning on 
the lawn, spread out a newspaper, about twenty feet 
away. The target should be kept at this distance until 
he can hit it regularly. Then it may be moved for- 
ward five feet at a time. Distance in casting comes 
naturally; accuracy can be learned only by practice. 

The overhead cast consists of three distinct parts: 




Proper Way to Grasp Rod 

Note thumb extended along rod : line may be " pinched ' 
to rod as shown when sufficient line is out; otherwise it ii 
held in the left hand. 




lieginning" of Back Ca'=;t 
End of For\\ard Cast 



CASTING 139 

the back cast, the pause and the forward cast. Let us 
consider them one at a time. 

The Back Cast 

The novice caster should first assume a natural, 
easy position, and not a stiff pose. The rod, with 
thumb extended, should be pointed straight ahead, be- 
ing held a little above parallel with the water and about 
fifteen feet of line should be lying stretched out straight 
in front. With the left hand pull a little line from 
the reel, between the reel and the first guide and this 
should be held in the left hand at all times so that the 
cast can be lengthened when desired and to give the 
angler instant control over a hooked fish. Now take 
in the slack of the extended line by pulling a little of 
it back through the guides and then start the back cast. 

The back cast is made by lifting the rod smartly 
and forcefully. This movement is executed by the 
wrist and forearm only, the upper arm and elbow be- 
ing held close to the body. This is important and 
some instructors place a book under the arm of the 
young caster to make him keep his elbow in, the ob- 
ject being to teach the novice to use his wrist and fore- 
arm only which makes the spring of the rod do most 
of the work and gives the line an upward, as well as 
a backward, direction thus helping to produce the 
much-desired high back cast. 

In making the back cast the rod can be brought 
straight back toward the right shoulder or it can be 
directed toward the left shoulder to throw the line 



I40 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

over the left shoulder in the back cast and over the 
right in the forward cast. This is a very pretty and 
very smooth cast much used by fly fishermen of the old 
school. Tournament casters use the straight back- 
ward and forward cast. 

The back cast ends when the rod reaches the per- 
pendicular or when the thumb lying along the rod is 
pointing straight up. This brings the active rod tip 
slightly behind the perpendicular, which is correct. 

The Pause 

The mistake most often made by the novice is to 
assume that the forward cast immediately follows the 
back cast. He forgets the pause and thereby " bung- 
gles " his cast. The pause is a very important stage 
in the process of casting a fly. Its object is not en- 
tirely to permit the line to straighten out behind, and 
thus avoid snapping off the flies, as most writers claim, 
but to permit the back-traveling line to exert its weight 
and force and put spring in the rod tip for the for- 
ward cast. 

Some writers on fly casting tell us to start the for- 
ward cast when we " feel the line pull from behind " 
but in casting a short line, as the novice should, he is 
not likely to feel any " pull " so should not wait for it. 

The relation of the pause to the back and forward 
casts can be kept in mind by counting " one " at the 
beginning of the back cast, " two " at its finish, 
" three " for the pause and *' four " for the forward 
cast, slowing the count as each subsequent cast is ex- 




End of Back Cast 



CASTING 141 

tended. People with a sense of rhythm learn fly cast- 
ing quicker than others. 

The Forward Cast 

If the pause between the back and forward casts is 
too long the rod tip straightens, (loses its spring), the 
line falls and the cast is " killed." If the pause is not 
long enough the rearward action of the rod tip is not 
completed and the reaction of the tip gives little as- 
sistance in the forward cast. The too-short pause does 
not permit the line to straighten enough behind which 
is proclaimed by the leader cracking like a whip lash 
and sometimes the fly is snapped off. If the pause is 
correctly timed the veriest novice knows it as the line 
seems to shoot forward, in the forward cast, as if pro- 
pelled by some unseen force, which, indeed, is what 
happens — the complete reaction of the rod tip being 
the force. 

The forward cast then must be timed to start im- 
mediately after the pause and is a strong, forward 
sweep of the rod, increasing in force as it goes forward, 
aided and directed by the pressure of the extended 
thumb. It ends with the rod in about the same posi- 
tion as at the beginning of the back cast or a little 
above parallel of the water. The rod is then in posi- 
tion to manipulate or retrieve the fly or hook a rising 
fish. 

When casting ordinary lengths it is safest for the 
young caster to keep his elbow in and use only the 
forearm and wrist but when a long cast is attempted 



142 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

the upper arm may be put into use. Thrashing, how- 
ever, should be avoided — make the rod do the work. 
This point was well brought out by F. M. Halford, 
the famous English dry fly fisherman: ". . . In 
throwing a long line the upper arm will come into use 
in addition to the w^rist and forearm, as the angler will 
have to feel the line of the backward cast through the 
arc of a larger circle. The force required to propel 
various lengths of line without over casting or under 
casting (the first of these terms meaning the use of 
too much, and the second of too little, power to extend) 
and only just extending the line, varies directly with 
every yard of line used. This adaptation of the power 
to cast, of cause to effect, constitutes the secret of how 
to cast well." 

". . . It must always be remembered that hearing 
much sound proceed from a rod making a cast is an 
indication of too much force being used. The late 
Mr. Marryat said: 'A silent rod and a whistling 
line mean good casting ' but he added that when throw- 
ing against a wind a slight ' whoosh ' of the rod is 
often heard. It may be laid down as an axiom that 
nine anglers out of ten put too much energy into their 
casting, and forget to allow the rod to do its fair share 
of the work." 

In recapitulation, the important phases of casting 
are: extending the thumb in grasping the rod; keeping 
the elbow and upper arm close to the body ; ending the 
back cast with the rod perpendicular; correctly timing 
the pause. 



CASTING 143 

Extending the Cast 

In learning to cast, the novice should, from the be- 
ginning, learn to use his left hand to hold and manipu- 
late the line stripped from the reel. To extend the 
cast the caster merely lets go this stripped line near 
the end of the forward cast and it " shoots " through 
the guides or, if he learns a high back cast, he can pay- 
out some of this line on the back cast like the dry fly 
fishermen do it. This is repeated until the desired 
length of line is out. From this it will be seen that 
the big difference, from the fishing standpoint, be- 
tween bait casting and fly fishing is that the fly caster 
fishes the near water first. 

Practice 

When first taking up casting the beginner uses mus- 
cles that are not accustomed to such work so his periods 
of practice must not be too long at first; as he pro- 
gresses he finds it less tiring and he also notices that, 
as he gains in skill, less effort is needed to get out a 
reasonable length of line. 

For Advanced Pupils 

When the young fly fisher learns the mere mechani- 
cal process of casting a fly he may believe he is a full- 
fledged fly caster. At this stage of his education ac- 
curacy and delicacy mean little to him and fly fishing 
strategy less. 

As soon as the novice has learned how to make a cast 



144 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

and how to extend his cast he should devote consider- 
able practice to obtain good casting " form." That is, 
he should learn to cast easily with no suggestion of 
awkwardness or muscular effort; his back cast should 
be high and his forward cast ending with the line well 
straightened out in front, not full of kinks which not 
only looks bunglesome but frequently prevents one 
hooking a rising fish in anything but the swiftest water. 

The young caster should learn also to drop his fly 
and only the smallest amount of line and leader on the 
water. By this I mean that he should not " slam " 
the fly, leader and line on the water. Raising the rod 
tip slightly at the end of the cast helps in this respect. 

A good plan, while practicing or fishing, is to 
imagine that you are casting into a big glass jar full 
of clear water, the edges of which are about four feet 
above the surface of the stream. Try to picture in 
your mind a very large, wary fish lying in this jar 
looking out at you so you must keep your upper arm 
and elbow pressed close to your side and cast with the 
forearm only to make as little movement as , possible, 
to avoid scaring the fish. Imagine you are casting into 
the jar over its high edge. This will make you stop 
the forward cast while the fly is some distance from 
the water, letting it fall mostly of its own weight. 

More important as a fishing essential than good cast- 
ing " form " is accuracy. I wish I could devote several 
pages to this subject in order to impress the beginner 
with its importance but little can be said — accuracy 
is something to be practiced and a day on the stream 



CASTING 145 

usually drives its importance home. Accuracy is much 
more desirable than the more spectacular ability to 
handle a long line. In actual fishing the average cast 
is thirty or forty feet while fifty or sixty feet is con- 
sidered a long cast. 

Other Casts 

While the overhead cast is the most used there are 
modifications of it that are useful under certain condi- 
tions. One of these is the wind cast. It is made the 
same as the ordinary cast except in the forward cast 
which is made with a strong outward as well as down- 
w^ard motion of the casting hand. It is far from being 
a pretty cast and is tiring to the arm and wrist but is 
useful when working against a heavy wind. 

The side cast is analogous to the " side swipe " of 
the bait caster. It is made with the rod held about 
level with the waist during the entire cast. The back 
cast is brought back a trifle behind the caster, the pause 
is necessarily short, as the line is only a few feet above 
the water, and the forward cast is made by a strong 
forward sweep. It is used mainly for casting under 
overhanging trees and brush and to avoid being " hung 
up " on the back cast. 

The Spey cast is also used under the same circum- 
stances. William C. Harris described it as follows: 
" With the line at full stretch down stream and the 
hand grasping nearly the extreme end of the butt, the 
rod is raised so that as much of the line is cleared from 
the water as possible, then a forward stroke is made 



146 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

sufficiently strong to lift the entire line from the water 
and to cause the fly to alight a short distance in the 
rear of the caster; then placing the rod well back, as in 
the forward cast of the ordinary method a strong 
switch of the rod to the front will cause the line to 
roll out rapidly; the leader and flies, as the line goes 
out, making a leap as it were and alighting on the 
water." 

A favorite cast where there is no room for a back 
cast is the roll or switch cast. With fly, leader and 
line on the water the rod is raised almost to the per- 
pendicular. Then it is swung back over the shoulder, 
a slight pause is made and the rod is swung smartly 
forward, causing the line to roll out and carrying the 
fly forward. Line is stripped from the reel and per- 
mitted to " shoot " in extending the cast. This is a 
good cast when in " close quarters." 

Other casts are known and an angler often will im- 
provise one to meet some peculiar condition. It is a 
good plan to learn how to execute the overhead and 
side casts with either hand — useful to rest a tired 
casting hand and sometimes necessary to avoid a 
" hang up." 

Tournament Casting 

Tournament fly casting is a pretty game that has 
done much to improve casting and fly fishing tackle. 
Casting clubs are usually found in the larger cities, 
the casting pools being located in the city parks. 

The events most often practiced are the light and 



CASTING 147 

heavy tackle accuracy and distance fly casting; dry fly 
accuracy and casting the sahnon fly for distance. 

In the light tackle events the rod is limited to iii/^ 
feet in length and 5% ounces in weight, except in the 
dry fly accuracy, the limit in length being eleven feet. 
In the accuracy fly targets are 3 rings, 30 inches in 
diameter, set at fprty-five, fifty and fifty-five feet re- 
spectively from the casting platform. 

Five casts are made at each ring, successively. If 
the fly falls inside of or on the rim of the ring it is a 
perfect cast. ** For each foot or fraction of a foot, 
the fly falls outside of ring a demerit of one shall be 
made. The total of such demerits divided by 15 and 
subtracted from 100 shall be the percentage score." 
Perfect scores have been made but the official record 
of the National Association of Scientific Angling Clubs 
is 99^%oj held by George Chatt of the Anglers' 
Illinois Casting Clubs, Chicago. 

In the distance fly events the contestant is allowed 
ten minutes to make his cast. The ofl&cial N.A.S.A.C. 
record for the light tackle distance fly was made in 
19 1 5 by H. C. Golcher of San Francisco, the cast being 
116 feet. The heavy tackle record of 134 feet is held 
by W. D. Mansfield of San Francisco. 



STRATEGY 

THE WAY OF A BASS FISHERMAN WITH A FLY ROD 
AND THE WAY OF A BASS WITH A FLY 

WADING A STREAM 
Ideal Fishing 

THE ideal way to fish a bass stream, if its depth 
and bottom will permit, is to wade. Some 
one has said that Art is the beautiful way of 
doing things. Certainly then, wading the stream is 
the artist's way of fishing for Micropterus. It has all 
the charm of trout fishing and all of its thrills and 
seldom is so lonesome since many of our bass streams 
are in settled districts. One often fishes a stream and 
is never out of hearing of the cow bells and the barking 
of friendly farm dogs but is in the wilderness never- 
theless. When the angler wades he becomes a part of 
the stream and its life and the more he fishes a fine 
stretch of water the friendlier it becomes. 

Bass and Flies 

One reason I believe bass fly fishermen are not as 
generally successful as their trout fishing brethren is 
because the bass fisher, as a class, has not put as much 
study into his fish, his waters and his methods. This 
is not to be wondered at when you consider that fly 
148 



STRATEGY 149 

fishing for bass is, compared with trouting, in its first 
tooth stage. In other words, if some anglers loudly 
proclaim that the east wind bloweth when they are 
bassing with flies it is due, not to the bass but to the 
angler. 

True one seldom gets the big, old, granddaddy bass 
of 'em all on a fly, neither do the bigger trout come to 
the net by the same route, but the average of the 
stream or lake can be caught on flies and are on certain 
waters. Is it entirely because of certain local peculiari- 
ties of fish, water or conditions that fly fishing for bass 
is practiced so successfully on such widely separated 
waters as, to mention a few: the upper Mississippi and 
Illinois rivers in the Middle West; the Susquehanna, 
Potomac and Delaware in the East; the Current and 
St. Francis in the Ozarks; the Belgrade Lakes in 
Maine? I think not. Bass fly fishing has long been 
practiced and studied in these places, hence the success. 

Aside from its beauty and charm wading a stream 
makes for success. In the first place a stream that is 
of wadable depth is ideal for fly fishing and the angler, 
moving slowly and quietly, with only a portion of his 
body above water is, as old Dennys put it, less likely 
to " ofifend the fearful Fish's eye." 

Seasons, Weather, Etc. 

As a general rule the trout fisher can go a-fishing 
earlier with his flies than the angler who fishes for 
bass in northern North America. A great many of 
our good bass streams are in civilized territory and 



I50 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

the Spring rains, plus the drainage of farm lands, usu- 
ally roils the water. If one must have bass then most 
success will be had if he will dangle an angle, baited 
with worm, helgramite or craw, in the deep holes. 

As the season advances fly fishing improves but June 
usually finds the bass busy with family affairs and they 
should not be bothered even if the law permits. July 
is usually a good month on all streams and on the 
larger ones this month and August often produce best 
of all — and just when the lakes are yielding least. 
Very low water, however, often drives the fish into 
the holes on small streams during the '* dog days." 

September, the month Eastern and Midwest trout 
fishermen close up shop, is usually excellent except the 
week of the equinoctial storm. October — brown 
October — also yields well, and the seasons we have 
" a late Fall " fishing continues good even well into 
November. Local conditions also must be considered. 

The ideal fly fishing day is a dark, overcast one, 
just before a rain, or better still, when it merely sug- 
gests or threatens to rain and doesn't with enough 
breeze to rufl^e the surface of the water. Next best 
is what the average person would call a "nice day " — 
when the sun shines, the sky is blue and friendly and 
streamside posies and tree tops nod to fitful breezelets 
that put a slight ripple on the stream. 

The best time of the day is undoubtedly the early 
morning hours, from dawn until eight or nine o'clock 
and from four in the afternoon until sundown or even 
until after dark. During cloudy days the noon hours 



STRATEGY 151 

often produce well. However, most of us fish the day- 
through and perhaps it doesn't add much to the heft 
of our creels but it adds lightness to our hearts and 
uplift to our spirits and there is always the anticipa- 
tion of the luck the evening fishing is going to bring 
us — unless, perchance, it is the last day and we must 
quit untimely to catch the 5:15 for home. Then we 
are out of luck as the fish invariably begin to rise well 
as the quitting hour approaches — 'twas ever thus as the 
poets say! But never mind: other days are coming 
and for that matter if the fish become too challenging 
one can always " miss " a train and send a telegram of 
explanation later. Such things have happened ! In 
fact, I know bald-headed men who have, choosing love 
before duty, thus played truant from home and busi- 
ness under these circumstances. 

Thunder and lightning storms are unpropitious for 
good fishing but a gentle shower often turns the tide 
in our favor and sets the fish to rising. 

The direction of the wind has little to do with the 
success of a day on a stream as the wind comes from 
all directions if the river is at all winding. The 
proverbial east wind may have local influences, in 
England or on our east coast, but otherwise is not ob- 
jectionable and the phases of the moon have little to 
do with fishermen's luck or the whimsical mood of 
Micropterus, except that the bass may do their feeding 
on moonlight nights and be indifferent during the day. 
In this case the angler, well prepared for mosquitoes 
and with heavy tackle, can do his fishing after sundown. 



152 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

Where to Cast 

The swift, gravelly, sandy or rocky stream is the 
home of the small mouthed bass and there is some 
similarity between fishing for him and for trout. 
Both fishes seek cover and food but the bass never 
hangs poised in fast broken water like the trout. He 
may dash into the rapids after food, if hungry, but he 
won't stay there. Of course during a freshet when 
the fish work up stream they go through the rapids but 
are seldom taken on flies — maybe because fly fisher- 
men so seldom fish there at such times. When the 
water is rising the eddies at the edge of swift water 
often yield well as the fish lie there on the watch for 
surface food. The bars formed by eddies behind or 
below obstructions are often favorite hunting places 
for bass feeding on minnows. 

At a normal stage of water a bass will often lie on 
the down stream side of a boulder in quick water where 
the current has scooped out a hole in the bed of a 
stream and here you will often " connect " with a big 
one. This hole usually shows as a big, dark patch 
on the stream bed and it is good strategy to first cast 
up to its edges before floating a fly directly through it. 

In the average river most bass will be taken near 
the shore line. Overhanging banks, trees or bushes 
that lean over and admire themselves in the reflection 
of the surface; docks, piers, fallen trees, partially or 
totally submerged stumps (river men call 'em ** dead 
heads") wing dams, boulders, brush heaps — anything 



STRATEGY 153 

that obstructs the flow offers cover for a feeding fish 
and never should be passed by the fly fisher w^ithout a 
speculative cast or two. 

Stretches where the water runs swift and smooth 
and almost wader-top high should be fished thoroughly 
by casting in all directions — the casts radiating from 
you like the spokes of a wheel from its hub, as sug- 
gested by Dr. Henshall. Don't neglect the water im- 
mediately above or below a rapid or at the foot of a 
*' shoot " — where the stream narrows and speeds up. 
Beds of grass, isolated clumps of weeds, sharp turns 
or where another stream comes in are also likely places. 
Ordinarily it does not pay to spend much time casting 
over " deepish," still water. Where a sizable ob- 
struction juts out into the stream look for a bass on 
the down stream side, just around the corner. Farther 
in, in the eddy, you will find our friend '' Spots," the 
so-called " pickerel." 

Where the stream runs swift along bare or rocky 
banks drop your fly on the shore and twitch it off into 
the water — sometimes very effective. Such stretches 
can also be whipped: making a number of casts and 
merely permitting the fly to *' tick " the water, then 
finally allowing it to fall and retrieve in the regular 
way — often sets 'em crazy when they are otherwise 
indifferent. Where the river suddenly becomes shal- 
low, frequently above or below an island, makes a 
nice play spot for minnows, a fact well known to 
hungry bass. 

It must be borne in mind that local conditions, espe- 



154 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

dally as regards food, often influence the lurking places 
of the fish. I know one stream where the most suc- 
cess is had by casting in very shallow swift water in 
mid-stream, but it is an exception. Where this con- 
dition prevails the rapid is in a stream which for the 
most part is slow and weedy. Small mouthed bass 
don't like rapids but they like dead, dirty water less. 
A village fool once found a lost horse for which 
a large reward was offered. When asked how he 
did it he replied: "Well I just thought where I 
would go if I were a horse and I went there and 
found him." Use the same " simp " sleuthing methods 
when seeking bass: go where there is food and cover 
and travel your flies where food would naturally drift. 

Methods 

Much depends on the angler. If he rushes along 
making a fitful cast here and there in what he believes 
to be likely spots and tries to fish the whole river in 
half a day he may catch fish; usually he doesn't. But 
look out for the '' old hand " who casts with delibera- 
tion and takes his time — he always gets more fishing 
and nearly always more fish than the " hustler " type 
of angler. 

In casting for bass the experienced angler regulates 
the length of his cast according to prevailing condi- 
tions. On a darkish day or when there is a good rifRe 
on the water thirty feet or so is enough line but on 
bright, still days or in very clear water forty or fifty or 
even sixty feet will get the most rises. In any event 



STRATEGY 155 

it is poor policy to tire oneself by attempting to cast the 
extreme lengths. Early or late in the day, in bright 
weather, it is a good plan to cast' toward the sun when- 
ever possible to avoid long shadows and when the 
sun is high and bright the canny angler saves the likeli- 
est spots for the few, fleeting intervals that a friendly 
fleece of clouds hides the sun. 

Whatever length of line one casts he should cultivate 
a high back cast, take care that he doesn't hang his 
flies in the brush and put his casts down straight and 
quietly. Whether to fish down or up stream is some- 
thing for each angler to decide for himself. Bass 
fishermen, when wading, usually fish down stream cast- 
ing diagonally across, permitting the fly to sink and 
retrieving it '' steady by jerks " as an old river hand 
once put it. Some anglers " flutter " their flies on the 
surface for a moment before they sink by manipulating 
the rod but this is generally unnecessary when fishing a 
stream. 

Well here at last, young Venator, is the getting in 
place. For a while you had better merely follow and 
observe me and thus you will sooner " get the hang " 
of this merry business of taking basses on fraudulent 
feathers. We will keep to the left bank going down 
stream, and thus avoid the necessity of casting left 
handed. 

That gray gaunt tree lying there in the swift water 
near the other shore might shelter a bass. Note that 
black hole under it in the bed of the stream; surely a 



156 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

likely spot. I won't take a chance on scaring him 
by casting toward his lair but will cast down stream 
on this side until I have enough line out to reach the 
tree. Then, at the end of my last back cast, I will 
turn and drop this Yellow May where he can get it — 
if he's there and in ye mood. What! No rise? Very 
well, I'll just work along the log, letting the current 
carry the fly past it. Well! Maybe he doesn't like 
the Yellow May and we'll try this number 4 Brown 
Palmer. Come on, son, we'll be movin' along — that 
fish doesn't know good fishing when he sees it ! 

That old brush heap ought to be good for something. 
Sure enough, a rock bass! But we will put him back 
to propitiate the river gods and the spirits of departed 
anglers who brood over this beautiful stream when 
the wind is South. 

Those overhanging willows ought to give us a real 
fish — a " keeper." We will get above 'em and float 
a fly down under the drooping branches. Very well, 
Mr. Bass; stay there; we will call again some other 
day when you are in a more hospitable frame of mind ! 
There's a cluster of partly submerged tree stumps a bit 
farther down; come on, let's give 'em a trial. 
. Now we will lengthen our line as we did at the 
fallen tree as there is no likely water between us and 
the stumps. There! Did you see him take after it! 
Why didn't I stop the retrieve and let him take it? 
Because it's poor policy and would have aroused his 
suspicion and if I had continued to retrieve my rod 
tip would have been up so high that I probably would 



STRATEGY 157 

not have hooked him — you are in no position to strike 
with your rod any higher than fifty degrees. The 
young angler's temptation is to hurriedly make another 
cast directly at the fish returning to his lair. Not us. 
We will make another cast down stream and give him a 
chance to get back to his hole. Now we'll try again. 
He is suspicious and merely chases the fly so we will 
ofFer him a change of diet by hooking on a new fly 
and a spinner. I'll put this little gold one on. Fool- 
ish fishes, like foolish folks, are attracted by the glitter 
of gold and for it give up their liberty and even their 
lives. But what can it give them that compares with 
freedom and the joys of going a-fishing! Now, Mr. 
Bass, try that! Ho! Ho! He merely chases it so 
we will follow my friend Feet's advice. He says if he 
rises a fish and fails to hook him on a wet fly he switches 
to a floater, or vice versa, and always gets another rise. 
Now, floater; do your duty. There! I have him 
hooked. He's a nice one, too. Now observe how I 
play him. Note that I keep the tip up just enough to 
keep a good bend in the rod. See, I strip in what 
slack he gives me and pay it out again slowly when he 
appears to be pulling too hard for the probable strength 
of my leader. Now he leaps but the spring of the rod 
keeps the line taut although I watch my knitting and 
see that he does not fall on the stretched leader. If he 
had I would have lowered the rod tip and given him 
some slack. He's getting tired and I slowly and firmly 
work him up stream of me. Still keeping a good curve 
in the rod I reel in the slack line. Then I pinch the 



158 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

line against the rod, submerge the net, and let him 
float over it. There ! Almost two pounds of fighting 
fish licked to a frazzle! I hug the rod to my bosom, 
remove the hook and kill the fish — w^e are at least 
sure of our dinners. 

There are several points on hooking, playing and 
landing a fish that are vrorth explaining. Sometimes, 
especially in fast w^ater, a fish w^ill hook himself but 
ordinarily it must be done by the angler. This little 
trick, called " the strike," is something to vrhich young 
anglers should give some study. With an ordinary 
bass rod the best method of striking is tightening the 
line by a twist of the wrist from the left to the right. 
With a whippy rod best results will be had by sweeping 
the rod tip downward smartly. When there is slack 
in the line or near the end of the retrieve it is best to 
strike both with the wrist movement and by a short 
tug on the slack held in the left hand. An expert can 
execute both movements simultaneously with just the 
correct amount of force and do it instinctively. Al- 
ways strike when you see the flash of the fish or when 
you hear him swirl; don't wait to feel him "bite." 
If you fail to hook him don't be in a hurry to cast for 
him again — make a cast or two in another direction or 
change your fly. 

When you hook your fish don't be too anxious to 
land him. Maintain a good curve in the rod partly 
from the side to avoid raising the tip too high so you 
are in a position to take in slack quickly if the fish 
*' rushes " you. Handle him firmly, but not too 



STRATEGY 159 

firmly, and keep him away from snags, sharp stones 
and other debris. Give him no slack but let him 
have his head a little if he appears to be pulling too 
hard for your leader. When he is tired by the constant 
bend of the rod then get the net ready but don't make 
the all too common mistake of jabbing at the fish with 
the net — why try to catch a fish you have already 
caught? Get the fish up stream of you and merely 
submerge the net and lead him over it. 

Just a few more hints and I am done. When cast- 
ing with a spinner or other heavy lure retrieve in the 
regular way but on the last pull do not bring it to the 
surface and make the back cast one continuous move- 
ment. Better for your rod and wrist if you will bring 
it to the top o' the water and then " pick it off " the 
surface on the back cast. Even giving a little jerk with 
the line in your left hand as you start the back cast 
will help. 

To make a spinner effective it must be retrieved 
against or partially against the flow of the stream, hence 
it should be cast down stream or diagonally across and 
down. When casting with a cork bodied fly it is 
customary to cast it up and across and strip In the 
slack with the left hand as it floats down to you. Does 
the splash of one of these bulky flies scare the fish? 
Sometimes but not often. The bass is not a shy fish 
and has a big bump of curiosity. He is something like 
the fighting forbears of the Irishman who was asked 
whom his ancestors sprung from. " They sprung from 
nobody," he said; "they sprung at 'em." Any large 



i6o PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

fly is hard to cast in a high wind but a windy day has 
one compensating feature: the wind rufHes the water, 
making long casts unnecessary. 

Now, young Venator, I have imparted all I can to 
you and I regret that you haven't a more competent 
teacher. I am going to sit on yonder log and smoke 
while you go on down stream a ways. Be careful 
you don't hang up your flies, for fishes do not roost in 
trees — and good luck ! 

FLOATING A STREAM 

Streams too deep to wade or with soft bottom or 
treacherous holes are fished from a boat which is a 
method having many attractions — a lazy man's and 
restful system. 

While I have had many a pleasant day fishing from 
a canoe the ideal river boat, from the comfort stand- 
point at least, is a flat bottomed one of shallow draft 
and generous width and stability. Such a craft per- 
mits one to move about and allows what base ball fans 
call " the 7th inning stretch." However, unless one 
owns a boat he takes what the boat man has to offer 
and makes the best of it. 

The ideal way to float a bass stream is with a com- 
panion and a hired boatsman who guides the craft and 
who otherwise makes himself useful. He should 
" know the river " if you don't and engineers the trip 
so you reach your destination on time and so as to be 
near a spring when it is time to *' bile the coffee pot " 
at noon. A good river man is a priceless jewel and 



STRATEGY i6i 

among them I number some of my best friends. 

If a boatsman Is not hired a third angler can join 
the party and each man handles the boat alternately, 
but three men fishing from a boat at one time should be 
avoided. In a pinch one or two men can fish down 
stream by dragging a light anchor but this should be 
avoided If possible. 

A pal and I often combine wading and floating In 
one stream. We put the boat on a wagon and put it 
In the river where the road crosses it. Then we don 
waders and fish down stream, the boatsman fetching 
up In the rear with the boat. When we want some 
duflJle or have a fish to put In the bag we simply walk 
back or wait for the boat. The end of the day finds us 
at the main river and a launch picks us up and tows 
us back to the camp. 

One fishes the same places when casting from a boat 
as he does when wading. The boat Is kept out in the 
stream and the angler casts toward shore, the boats- 
man driving a paddle, or better still a garden rake, Into 
the bottom, or dropping anchor If In very deep w^ater, 
until the likely spot Is thoroughly fished. One usually 
casts a little longer line when floating although I do 
not believe that a boat tends to scare a fish if the anglers 
are quiet. You may talk and shout as much as you 
-lease as sounds above the water are unheard by the 
fish — something a friend with whom I go trout fish- 
ing apparently does not believe. Anyway he says my 
singing scares the trout. I have never learned whether 
this was a comment on my singing or a compliment on 



i62 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

the hearing ability of the trout ! But be careful about 
scuffing the feet on the bottom of the boat or knocking 
the oars against it as such sounds carry great distances 
under water. 

A river can be fished by hauling the boat upstream a 
day's float; by going down one side of the stream and 
working up the other; by floating down to a trysting 
place and being hauled back at night or, on the last day, 
floating to the next town and shipping the boat back. 
On some large rivers best success is had by fishing up 
stream. 

Casting from a boat sometimes is difficult for the 
man used to wading. Striking the water behind on 
the back cast perhaps does no more harm than to slow 
up the cast a trifle but it looks '' bunglesome " and a 
high back cast avoids it. When the young angler 
finds himself " tipping " the water behind him he can 
keep his fly up by slightly raising the casting arm at 
the end of the back cast. 

Sometimes on these deep rivers fly fishing is profit- 
less as the bass congregate in the deep holes. A ques- 
tion arises: under these conditions is the true fly fisher 
justified in using a worm or other lowly bait. In my 
opinion it depends on how much he wants fish. If, 
for example, the " missus " has threatened to buy no 
meat for the next day and has hinted that an empty 
basket means no more trips for the season, then the 
canny angler will use anything short of dynamite and 
all of us, to a man, will voice him the time-honored 
anglers' bywords: good luck! 



STRATEGY 163 

FISHING A LAKE 

In no other branch of angling is a thorough working 
knowledge of fish habits, water and weather condi- 
tions so essential to success as fly fishing for bass on a 
lake. In other words, the successful lake fly fisher 
must know his business and be quick to take advantage 
of favorable conditions. 

I believe that a fly fisher can catch bass on a lake 
almost any time the bait caster who uses surface baits 
can get fish — if he is a good fisherman. The bass 
are then feeding in the shallows or on or near the sur- 
face and that alone is a big advantage. Bass are most 
often found in low water early or late in the season and 
with a little cloudy weather and a good rifile on the 
water at these times the fly fisher has the most propi- 
tious circumstances. In mid-season in the full glare 
of the sun, with the lake's surface like a mill pond, 
the conditions are most unfavorable and the wise angler 
will then still fish, pitch horse shoes or go swimming 
until evening. Then, protected by head net and mos- 
quito dope, he can carefully work along the shores and 
shallow places with some hope of success. After sun- 
down is the best time of all for fly fishing a lake in 
mid-summer. At other times the best hours are very 
early or late in the day. 

The habits and preferences of the basses should not 
be forgotten. One should look for small mouths on 
the rocky ledges, on the sand or gravel bars or where 
there are currents. If you do not know where these 



i64 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

are located, and the services of a guide are not avail- 
able, an hour or two exploring w^ith a sounding line is 
a good investment. Look for shallow^s especially ofiE 
or near points, islands or other outcroppings and when 
you find them " mark down " each one by lining it up 
with dissimilar objects on two shores and enter the 
observation in a note book. 

Keep your boat out in deep water and cast in to such 
places. If the fish show any inclination to come to the 
surface for your flies it is a good plan to fish there as 
it is more enjoyable to see the fish strike. Use either 
the cork bodied flies or the regular ones dried between 
casts by *' false " casting — whipping it back and forth 
through the air. " Flutter " your fly on the surface 
and retrieve slowly. When the fish are feeding deep 
I have had the most success with either a large (about 
number i or i-o) Silver Doctor fly, with one or two 
split shot pinched on the leader a few inches above the 
fly, or by using a number 2 fly or the same pattern with 
a number i (Hildebrandt scale) silver spinner, letting 
it sink well l)efore starting to retrieve. When fishing 
near an island or point, especially in the evening, cast- 
ing a weedless fly (to avoid getting hung up) on the 
shore and then twitching it off into the water often 
gives excellent results; also useful where sizeable rocks 
jut out of the water. 

The large mouthed bass, preferring shallow water, 
is usually more easily taken in lakes than dolomieu 
but it is often necessary to fish in the weeds. 

The shallow, weedy '' lakes " of the Illinois river 



STRATEGY 165 

region offer some of the best of large mouthed bass fly 
fishing. These lakes are overflowed timber and pasture 
lands full of dead trees, stumps, lily pads and weeds, 
making ideal breeding and feeding places for these 
fish. Before the law prohibited the sale of black bass 
one often would see Illinois river market fishermen 
using fly rods. 

For fishing such weedy waters a weedless fly (with 
inverted wings or with horse hair or wire weed guards) 
should be used. The boat is kept forty or fifty feet out 
from the edge of the weed bed and the angler casts 
his fly in the " pockets " among the weeds or directly 
on the weeds. A rather sturdy rod is needed for this 
work as the fish is literally dragged over the weeds 
into open water before he can *' duck " under the sur- 
face and foul the leader. Fishing in fairly weedless 
waters especially if the water is roiled, as it is apt to 
be, the addition of a spinner to the fly is advisable. 

Submerged weed beds, with the tops of the weeds 
a foot or so under the surface, often yield well early 
in the morning or 'long about dusk. Sometimes such 
waters must be whipped to arouse the ire of the green 
gentlemen. Other good places to look for rising fish 
are: the mouth of a stream entering the lake or at the 
outlet; where there are "spring holes" in shallow 
water ; where drift wood has accumulated ; under over- 
hanging trees. As in fishing a stream, do not over- 
look any place that offers cover for a fish. Put your 
line on the water straight so you can strike quickly — 
a lake bass often strikes immediately the fly touches 



i66 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

the water and you have no swift water in a lake to 
help you hook him. 

OTHER STILL WATERS 

In many sections of the United States and Canada, 
where there is a limestone formation, there are hun- 
dreds of abandoned quarries that have become filled 
with water and have been stocked with bass. Some 
of these " quarry holes " are only a cast or two across 
while others are what boys would call " young lakes." 
Most of them are very deep and the cold spring water 
breeds fish of wonderful fighting and table qualities. 

Because of the deep water the fish can retire to a 
depth beyond the influence of the weather and feed 
the year 'round, hence quarry bass are proverbially 
large. Also, as every one who has tried to catch them 
knows, they are extremely shy which is another reason 
why they get to be *' big fellers." 

In fishing waters of this kind the advantage is all 
with the fish. The water is almost as clear as the 
atmosphere and the edges are high so any one angling 
from the bank stands outlined against the sky in plain 
sight of the fish. When quarry fishing the angler 
ought to have a portable boat or canoe or fish only on 
dark days or better at night and then, if the moon is 
out, he should fish towards it. I know nothing that 
equals a quarry bass to take the conceit out of those 
individuals who admit they know '' all about fishing." 

Large flies and long casts are the rule when " quarry- 
ing for bass " and the party should consist of not more 



STRATEGY 167 

than two persons and they should follow the advice: 
** Study to be quiet." 

The same directions should be observed when fish- 
ing ponds known to contain bass. 

WET FLY TROUTING 

Beyond doubt the best way to learn the rudiments of 
trouting is to go out with an " old hand." In this 
way the novice will pick up many hints that will be of 
value when he attempts it alone. 

Hundreds of volumes have been written covering 
all phases of trout fishing so we will merely review 
the subject here for the benefit of the beginner and 
inexpert who are not fortunate enough to be taken in 
hand personally by an experienced fly fisher. 

To fish up stream or down is a much debated sub- 
ject. Both systems have their advantages and disad- 
vantages. Fishing down is less work; it assures a 
taut line and gives the wader a better view of the 
stream's bed in rough water. But it scares more fish 
as you come down to the trout that lie heading up 
stream and the sediment you stir up goes ahead of you 
and warns the fish. 

Up stream fishing adds to one's chances of hooking 
a rising fish, providing the line is taut, and not as long 
casts are required as you approach the fish from behind. 
But this upstream fishing entails more work. Wading 
is more difficult against the current and the angler 
must always be casting or stripping in line. This can 
be avoided, somewhat, if the casts are made diagonally 



i68 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

up and across stream. The majority of anglers are 
agreed, I believe, that the best system is to fish fast 
water down and slow water up, making sure to fish 
the pools first from below. 

There are ten good casters to one good wader. 
" Take your time and make haste slowly " is good 
advice to trout fishers. Cast in all the likely places, 
not just the choice spots. Work all the white water 
you can find. If brown trout are present look for them 
in the eddies above big boulders but brooks and rain- 
bows will be scattered about in the fast water; the 
broken water immediately below dams is a good place 
for the beginner to start his trout fishing career. Move 
carefully so as not to make noise. Sing or whistle if 
you feel like it but avoid scraping your hob nails on 
stones or gravel — such sounds carry a great way under 
water. Throwing a long line is not necessary when 
fishing the rapids — thirty feet is ample under ordi- 
nary conditions. 

The smooth stretches of swift, unbroken water re- 
quires careful and quiet fishing. Such places often 
shelter big fish, especially on bright days. Drop your 
flies gently close to the bank where there are dark 
pockets; around fallen trees and other debris for such 
a place is where lone lunkers love to lie in wait for food 
to come down to them. 

It is good strategy, especially when fishing strange 
waters, to start out with three flies on the leader, then 
switch to one when you find a pattern and size they 
like. Sometimes permitting the fly to sink well pro- 



STRATEGY 169 

duces; again the trout prefer it on or near the surface. 
When you come to a pool fish all you can reach of it 
from below. Then make a detour through the brush 
and fish the rest from above. Pool fishing requires 
longer casts and more delicate casting but larger fish 
are the rule. 

Hooking a fish in rough water requires little action 
on the part of the angler — just a slight lifting of the 
rod. In other places the fly fisher must '^ strike " his 
fish. This is done by a slight twist of the wrist. In 
fact the failure to hook rising fish is the most discourag- 
ing part of trout fishing to the novice. It calls for 
alertness and a little knack — a canny wrist the Scotch 
say — that will come with experience. A young trout 
fisher never strikes too quickly and he should train 
himself to keep a taut line at all times and to strike 
•mmediately he sees the flash of a fish. If the fish rises 
and misses the fly, rest the water for a full minute 
before casting again. If the fish is pricked leave that 
spot for a few minutes ; then come quietly back and try 
again. My experience is that a pricked trout will 
often strike again if left alone for a while. 

It is when playing for a certain fish that mishaps 
always occur. If you should get hung up in a tree 
during such a critical period, don't get impatient and 
try to release it by main strength. Wait a minute for 
the leader to dry a little; then a slight tug will often 
free it. 

When a trout is hooked play him. Don't be too 
anxious to get him into your basket. Keep a good bend 



I70 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

in your rod and make him fight for all the line he gets 
but if you attempt to " horse " him in he will pull 
out the hook or snap the leader nine times out of ten. 
Remember that an ordinary trout hook is a pretty small 
affair. When the fish shows signs of tiring play him 
some more ; then swing him up stream of you, put your 
net down and let the fish back or float into it. 

The time of day has less to do with successful trout 
fishing than in taking bass as trout are more often 
found in fast water where the visibility is poor. I 
have never had any particular success in early morning 
fishing and a hot breakfast should never be sacrificed 
for your eagerness to be up and at 'em. The evening 
fishing is worth looking forward to. It is then that 
the big hatches are on, in mid-season, and when large 
trout come out to feed in earnest. There is only one 
disadvantage in evening fishing and that is the pestifer- 
ous mosquito. Head net, gloves and smoking help but 
some dope is usually necessary. The famous one-two- 
three formula of Nessmuk is good: one part penny- 
royal, two parts castor oil, three parts pine tar. Sim- 
mer together and bottle. A favorite in the middle 
west and one I can recommend from personal experi- 
ence is: equal parts of oil of tar, oil of cedar, olive oil 
and citronella. Smear it on face, hands and neck. 
It is dirty, messy stuff but mosquitos and black flies 
stay away from it and it is healing to sunburn. 

Early in the spring, when snow water is running 
into the stream, fly fishing is almost useless — with 
some notable exceptions. May, June and July are the 



STRATEGY 171 

prime trout months in most waters south of Canada. 
In late summer small streams get very low and clear, 
requiring extra precaution on the part of the angler 
to keep himself and his equipment as much in the 
background as possible. Fine leaders and small flies 
are the rule for this clear water fishing. The anglers 
should cast toward the sun to avoid making shadows; 
he should drop his flies as gently as possible and fish 
the shady side of the stream. The expert under these 
conditions is quick to take advantage of every oppor- 
tunity such as casting under the shade of overhanging 
trees, fishing when a cloud momentarily hides the sun 
or when a breeze rufliles the surface of the stream. 

In summer fishing the angler should keep plenty of 
grass in his basket and keep his catch as cool as pos- 
sible. When he stops to smoke or to gossip a while 
with some passing brother of the angle he should get 
out his knife and open his fish, but not wash them. 

DRY FLY TROUTING 

The theory of dry fly fishing is to float a fly, tied 
in exact imitation to a natural insect, over a spot where 
you have reasons to believe that a trout Is feeding. In 
England, where the dry fly system originated, it is cus- 
tomary to " fish the rise " or for trout that are seen 
to be feeding, but in this country dry fly anglers fish 
all likely spots. 

The dry fly idea is not entirely new In this country. 
Thad. Norris and other early American experts often 
fished on the surface but of course thev were not ac- 



172 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

quainted with the highly specialized tackle and methods 
in use to-day. For a long time it was considered that 
most American trout streams were unsuited to dry fly 
fishing because they are swifter and rougher than the 
chalk streams of England but many anglers have 
learned that even fast water can be *' fished dry " and 
they maintain that in case the fly is sucked under it is 
just as effective as any wet fly can be. Dry fly fishing 
is now an accepted angling method with the majority 
of American trout fishers and even confirmed v/et fly 
men often carry a few dry flies tied to tapered leaders 
for fishing certain parts of their favorite streams. 
Ideal dry fly water is that which flows smooth and 
swift, just such water as many wet fly fishers pass by 
as unprofitable. Such water should be " checker- 
boarded " with casts before the angler moves up to 
fish new water, special attention being given to the 
spots along the bank where big fish w^ould find cover 
and to fish that are seen to be feeding. In addition to 
rod, reel and tapered line greased with deer fat, the 
dry fly fisher should be equipped with tapered leaders. 
These should be of high quality gut, tied with small 
knots. A good one is one of nine feet in length and 
tapering from extra stout to 3X fine. At least an 
extra leader should be soaking in the leader box as 
well as a number of 12-inch strands of the same size 
as the extreme end of the leader. These are to be 
used as " points " to tie to the end of the leader as the 
original end is clipped ofi from changing flies. 

Only one fly is used in dry fly fishing and this is tied 



STRATEGY 173 

directly to the end of the leader, using the turle knot. 
Flies for dry fly fishing are usually number ten or 
twelve and are tied with hard bodies and with wings 
and hackles designed to increase their buoyancy. In 
addition the flies are usually treated with an oil to in- 
crease their floating qualities. Atomizers and bottle 
equipped with brushes are furnished by the tackle shops 
to carry and apply the oil but I prefer two pieces of 
saturated felt carried in a " vanity box " such as the 
ladies use to " powder their noses " ; an ordinary tin 
salve box will do. I have my oil box equipped with a 
ring to which I fasten a key chain, the other end going 
on a button* of my wading jacket. I carry scissors 
the same way. Only the body and hackles of dry 
flies need be oiled. 

The dry fly fisher always fishes up stream. He 
wades carefully and slowly. When he extends his 
line for the first cast neither the line nor fly is per- 
mitted to touch the water until the fly is traveling 
through the air three or four feet beyond the point 
where he expects to get his fish. Then it is permitted 
to alight gently on the water and to float over the 
likely spot, care being taken to make it float as life-like 
as possible and to avoid drag of line or leader pulling 
it under or upsetting it. If no rise is forthcoming the 
fly is floated a few feet farther down when it is picked 
off the v/ater and more false casts are made to extend 
the line for another attempt and to dry the fly. Dur- 
ing this whipping the line back and forth the angler 
cautiously advances a few feet to cast over fresh water, 



174 PRACTICAL FLY FISHING 

providing he believes that the spot he last floated his 
fly over is barren of possibilities. 

The dry fly fisher must at all times keep in mind 
the fact that he is imitating nature as closely as pos- 
sible. His flies are almost exact duplicates of the 
living insect and he must make his fly float as naturally 
as he knows how. When the fly is on the water the 
slack line is slowly taken in by the caster's left hand, 
or rather the fingers of the left hand, but at no time 
should the line pull on the fly which should be floated 
solely by the current. While I have taken trout on 
flies that were handled in an unnatural manner the 
true-to-nature-idea is a good one for the dry fly fisher. 

The drag is the dry fly man's greatest enemy and 
there are several kinds. There is the drag caused by 
taking in slack too fast; there is drag imparted to the 
fly by the wind catching line or leader and worse than 
all is the drag caused by the fly being near the bank 
in rather slow water and the line being farther out in 
the stream where the full force of the current acts 
on it. The first can be avoided by a little care; the 
second is never serious except on the windiest day when 
dry fly fishing is both unpleasant and unprofitable. 
The drag of the current is minimized by casting so 
that there is an upstream belly in the line or by straight 
ahead casting to avoid getting the line in fast water. 

Next to floating the fly naturally the greatest prob- 
lem lies in hooking the fish. You do not keep a taut 
line in dry fly fishing to avoid the drag and when a 
fish does rise he has time to taste the fly, learn its true 



STRATEGY 175 

nature and let go of it If the angler is not on the alert 
at all times. For this reason the dry fly fisher should 
follow the keep-your-eye-on-the-ball rule of the golfer 
and watch for the flash of a rising fish. If a fish rises 
and is not hooked let the fly float down a ways before 
lifting it for another series of false casts — three are 
enough in most instances — and then try him again. 
If he refuses to rise offer him another fly; it is not un- 
usual to offer one fish three or four patterns of flies 
before you get one that strikes his fancy. Generally 
the dry fly man watches carefully to see what insects 
are hatching and which ones the trout are feeding on; 
then he puts one on that imitates it. 

Besides being an effective method of adding heft to 
one's basket dry fly fishing has many charms. The dry 
fly man fishes alone and while he loses in sociability he 
more than gains in the intimate contact he establishes 
with nature at her best. As he goes slowly and quietly 
up stream plying his art he sees many wonderful sights 
and hears many sounds that are denied the folks who 
would rather catch dollars than fish; who prefer man- 
made towns to the peaceful quiet of the streamside. 



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